Tarucus clathratus (Holland, 1891)

Zhang, Jing, Cong, Qian, Shen, Jinhui, Song, Leina & Grishin, Nick V., 2023, Genomic analysis reveals new species and subspecies of butterflies, The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey 11 (6), pp. 1-63 : 27

Tarucus clathratus W. Holland, 1891, comb. rest.

Genomic sequencing of the holotype by monotypy: “the type, a male,” per original description ( Holland 1891), of Tarucus clathratus W. Holland, 1891 (type locality in Sulawesi, sequenced as NVG-20124E10) ( Fig. 25, Fig. 23 magenta), currently placed in the genus Castalius Hübner, [1819] (type species Papilio rosimon Fabricius, 1775 ), reveals that it is not monophyletic with its type species and is in the same clade with Tarucus F. Moore, 1881 (type species Hesperia theophrastus Fabricius, 1793 ) ( Fig. 23 blue), where it was originally placed. Therefore, we return it to the genus Tarucus , as originally proposed: Tarucus clathratus W. Holland, 1891, comb. rest. We note that the photograph of T. clathratus holotype in the original description ( Holland 1891) ( Fig. 25b) on a casual look does not appear particularly similar to overexposed or possibly re-touched) and a different position of antenna (was re-attached later). However, despite these differences, the wing shape and outline of the spread with the right hindwing closer to the forewing than the left pair, the position of tails, and the tear along the Rs vein in the middle of the right hindwing match between the likely holotype and the photograph. The specimen is in CMNH, bears the label “ Holland Collection”, agrees with the original description better than the photograph (broad dark bands per description), and is labeled in Holland’s handwriting as “Type” in a manner similar to all other type specimens he described and labeled. Therefore, there is little reason to doubt that the specimen we sequenced (NVG-20124E10) is the holotype.