25: Deadly Delights - An arrangement of Jezebel butterflies
b"
In this episode of Object Matters Matthew Huan joins host Dr Craig Barker to discuss several Australian Jezebel butterflies (genus Delias) from the museum\\u2019s Macleay Collection. Matthew is a Museums Collections Officer and entomologist at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, and has a long fascination with butterflies. With over 250 known species the Jezebels, they are found from South East Asia to New Guinea and Australia. So what attracts Matthew to these deadly delights?
\\nIn a wide ranging conversation they discuss the role of classical and Biblical history in the taxonomy of species, coloration and toxicity, how new species evolve, Matthew\\u2019s own journey from Malaysia to Australia and the unique role of mistletoe in ecology and as the Jezebels' foodplant.
\\n
\\nImage: 18 specimens of six species of Australian Jezebel butterflies registered with numbers NHEN.65046 to NHEN.65139 and displayed in a snowflake arrangement. Starting from the top and moving clockwise, these species are the Black Jezebel Delias nigrina, Red-spotted Jezebel Delias aganippe, Red-banded Jezebel Delias Mysis, Yellow-banded Jezebel Delias ennia, Scarlet Jezebel Delias argenthona, and Imperial Jezebel Delias harpalyce.\\n
"
\\n
\\nImage: 18 specimens of six species of Australian Jezebel butterflies registered with numbers NHEN.65046 to NHEN.65139 and displayed in a snowflake arrangement. Starting from the top and moving clockwise, these species are the Black Jezebel Delias nigrina, Red-spotted Jezebel Delias aganippe, Red-banded Jezebel Delias Mysis, Yellow-banded Jezebel Delias ennia, Scarlet Jezebel Delias argenthona, and Imperial Jezebel Delias harpalyce.\\n