Papilio chikae, the Luzon peacock swallowtail, is a relatively recent discovery, found in 1965 on Mt. Santo Tomás in the southern Cordillera Central of Luzon, northern Philippines. It has since been found on a number of occasions on peaks near Baguio and Bontoc. Essentially a species of areas above 1500 m in the western montane zone, it is a glacial relict of continental origin. The Baguio area is a popular tourist resort and this naturally rare species is believed to be endangered by over-collecting and probably by habitat alteration. |
