Teinopalpus aureus


Teinopalpus aureus, the golden Kaiser-i-Hind, is a species of butterfly in the family Papilionidae. It is found in China, Vietnam and Laos, with several named subspecies The species is considered threatened by the wildlife trade hence is under Appendix II of CITES as part of the listed genus Teinopalpus. It is also specifically protected in China as grade-1 under the Wildlife Protection Law of the PRC.

Distribution

Species distribution models show that mountain forests in mid to high elevations of Southern China, Laos, and Vietnam present suitable habitats for T. aureus. However, many of these areas have poorly connected habitat networks and the extent of distribution is predicted to be declining as several portions are facing extensive deforestation and severe climate change effects.

Subspecies

Teinopalpus aureus aureus Mell, 1923Teinopalpus aureus eminens Turlin, 1991Teinopalpus aureus guangxiensis Chou & Zhou, 1994Teinopalpus aureus hainanensis Lee, ? Teinopalpus aureus laotiana Collard, 2007Teinopalpus aureus nagaoi Morita, 2003Teinopalpus aureus shinkaii Morita, 1998Teinopalpus aureus wuyiensis Lee, ?