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Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
 

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Small Tortoiseshell

Why is it becoming so scarce ?
 
The cause of the Small Tortoiseshell's decline has long mystified entomologists. In theory it should be common, as it's caterpillar feeds on one of the commonest plants in Britain - stinging nettle.
Many have speculated that the decline could be linked to climate change, but recent research suggests that a tiny parasitic fly may be responsible.

The fly Sturmia bella ( Tachinidae ) occurs mainly in warmer climates, and first arrived in Britain in 1998. It lays it's eggs on nettle plants. When the Small Tortoiseshell caterpillars eat the nettles, the microscopic eggs are ingested undamaged and pass into the caterpillar's gut. There they hatch, and the resulting grubs bore their way through the soft flesh, consuming non-vital body tissues. When the grubs are almost full grown they eat the vital organs, and then break out through the skin of the dying caterpillar to pupate.
The fly is widespread throughout southern Europe, north Africa and Asia. In Japan it parasitises the caterpillars of a Danaine, the Chocolate Tiger Parantica sita. Interesting research by Hirai & Ishii has revealed that P. sita can often survive attack by Sturmia bella - in experiments over 70 percent of infested sita larvae survived and went on to produce perfect adult butterflies.
Sadly the Small Tortoiseshell does not have this built-in immunity.
Click here to read more about the Small Tortoiseshell
 
New Book Announcements
 
The Butterflies of Venezuela
Part 2 - Acraeinae, Libytheinae, Nymphalinae, Ithomiinae and Morphiinae
Andrew Neild
 
Meridian Publications, London
ISBN 978-0-9527657-1-4.
 
circa £105 ( publication June/July 2008 )
 
 
Special offer on Part 1 if you buy Parts 1 & 2 :
Please e-mail Andrew Neild quoting
"learnaboutbutterflies".
 
 

Synopsis Of The Series

The Butterflies of Venezuela, Part 1 (1996), was a pioneering work of its kind for South America, being the first authoritative volume in a comprehensive faunistic identification series. The Butterflies of Venezuela series will prove invaluable to all who wish to learn about the remarkable and diverse butterfly fauna of this country and continent. Approximately 1000 species of adult Nymphalidae, Papilionidae, and Pieridae will be treated in the four-part series, equivalent to over one-third of the total Neotropical species in these families. Drawing on over 20 years of personal research in the field, in collections, and in libraries, the detailed accounts for each species encapsulate all that is known about their identification, distribution, behaviour, habitat, and foodplants. The text, which has been written to appeal to specialists and amateurs alike, has been collated from a wealth of published and unpublished sources. It includes extensive commentary on the systematics and nomenclature employed, and provides detailed notes designed to permit the easy identification of every Venezuelan butterfly. General notes on early stages are provided in the introduction to each genus, and where available those of one representative species are fully described. Readers also benefit from the inclusion of an extensive bibliography, which in Part 2 alone comprises almost 800 works fully referenced in the text. Unlike many other guides, the photographic colour plates illustrate every subspecies, generally showing both sexes and wing surfaces for each, plus several representative specimens for highly variable taxa. In addition, a large number of type specimens are reproduced, many for the first time.
 
Part 1 covers 276 species of the nymphalid subfamilies Limenitidinae, Apaturinae, and Charaxinae, including 2 new species and 23 new subspecies. One neotype and 6 lectotypes are designated. Nearly 1,200 specimens, of which 347 are types, are included on the 32 colour plates.
Published 1996.
Meridian Publications, ISBN 0952765705.
 
Part 2 treats 196 species (355 subspecies) in the nymphalid subfamilies Acraeinae, Libytheinae, Nymphalinae, Ithomiinae, and Morphinae. In excess of 1450 specimens are reproduced on 84 colour plates. There are over 450 figures of type specimens, of which the majority are illustrated for the first time. Descriptions are provided for 8 new species and 91 new subspecies. In addition, 4 neotypes and 10 lectotypes are designated.
Due June/July 2008.
Meridian Publications, ISBN: 978-0-9527657-1-4.
 
Part 3 is projected to treat the family Papilionidae and the nymphalid subfamilies Brassolinae, Danainae, and Satyrinae 1 (Satyrini 1: Pronophilina & Erebiina).
 
Part 4 will cover the family Pieridae and the remaining nymphalid subfamilies: Satyrinae (Concl.) and Heliconiinae.
 

Reproduced below is a reduced plate from Part 1, depicting several Archaeoprepona species

 
Nomads of the Wind
The Migration of the Monarch Butterfly and other Wonders of the Butterfly World
Ingo Arndt, Claus-Peter Lieckfeld, Peter Huemer
Papadakis Publisher, London
ISBN 978-1901092-92-9
£20
www.papadakis.net
Special Offer for learnaboutbutterflies visitors !

£17.00, postage free (expiring 31 August 2008).

For orders, please call 01635 248833 or email info@papadakis.net quoting "learnaboutbutterflies special offer".
 

A fabulous new butterfly book just published, featuring the work of one of the world's most accomplished wildlife photographers, Ingo Arndt. The photographer followed the 2000 mile migration of the butterfly from Canada and northern USA to it's winter quarters in Mexico. An informative text by Lieckfeld and Huemer explains the latest research on the migration. As well as the extensive coverage of the Monarch, the book features further stunning images of various other butterfly and moth species from around the world.

Monarch Danaus plexippus. photograph Copyright © Ingo Arndt from the book "Nomads of the Wind".
 
To read a full review by Adrian Hoskins, click here
 
 
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.
 
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