The World of Birdwing Butterflies

TROIDES CUNEIFERA

Being very similar to T. amphrysus, it is not surprising that T. cuneifera was originally described as Ornithoptera amphrisius var. cuneifera. The first to separate the two species was Snellen in 1889, but it was not until Roepke in 1935 described the differences in their genitalia that most authors took the same stand.

While T. amphrysus is chiefly a lowland species, T. cuneifera is more a mountain species. It prefers primary or secondary forests and is recorded from 300 m (in Malaya) to 2000 m (in Java).

T. cuneifera includes one of the most mysterious taxons of birdwing butterflies, namely T. cuneifera tantalus (see text under T. cuneifera tantalus for more details).

The species is on decline in Sumatra due to human activities, such as increased cultivation.

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