Battus polydamas ssp. antiquus (Rothschild & Jordan)

Antigua Gold Rim Swallowtail (Battus polydamas ssp. antiquus)

The Antigua Gold Rim Swallowtail, described in 1906, is a subspecies of the Gold Rim Swallowtail (Battus polydamus (L.)); it is thought to have been endemic to the island of Antigua in the Lesser Antilles.

This form is actually known only from a depiction by the British entomologist Dru Drury from 1770 (see below), however, it is quite possible that this form never existed in the first place as it is known that Drury’s book contains lots of geographical and taxonomical errors.

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Depiction: ‘J. O. Westwood: Illustrations of exotic entomology : containing upwards of six hundred and fifty figures and descriptions of foreign insects, interspersed with remarks and reflections on their nature and properties by Dru Drury. London: Henry G. Bohn 1837’

(public domain)

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edited: 16.05.2022