Luzon Peacock Swallowtail Papilio chikae (Igarashi, 1965)

Category: ENDANGERED Discoverer: Igarashi, 1965. Status: Single- island endemic found only in Luzon. Habitat/Distribution: Confined to high elevation forests of the Central Cordillera Mountains of the north-central Luzon. Hosts/ Plants: Recently described (1965), and with a very limited distribution, chikae is known only from N Luzon in the Philippines. It prefers forests above 1500 meters on the peaks and western slopes of the Cordillera central (Mt St. Thomas, areas around Bontoc and Baguio, the latter of which is a popular Summer resort area for the Japanese) and readily visits flowers Habitats/Behavior: . Apparently it flies year round and is easily captured, with specimens still in some demand in Japan. Threats: Currently listed as appendix I by CITES and Endangered by the US endangered species act, but collecting by tourists and locals who can get easy money for a specimen seems to go on. Interesting Information: This species is considered a relic of the Ice Ages and can only survive in the high elevation forests of the Cordillera Mountain Ranges in the Luzon.Possible share the same habitat as the Papilio bengetanus, another relic of the Ice Ages which is also endemic to Luzon. Conservation Efforts/Measures: Photograph Information: Mt St Thomas, Luzon, Philippines; May 28 1986 (Collection of R Sukimoto Japan, photo courtesy R Sukimoto)

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