InsectNet forum

eurytides · by eurytides » Mon Mar 10, 2025 1:37 pm

Thanks Chuck. Eggs were super common, one just had to look. I remember one day during my second trip there, we stopped by a roadside stand where someone was selling juice. They had an orchard in back and I asked if I could have a look. Found several eggs in under 5 minutes. First trip there, we went to the botanical garden and there was a citrus in the parking lot. Again, found several eggs and young larvae, and old eggshells. The photo of the egg I posted is from that parking lot. The larva is really cool and tropical looking. I think the pattern is beautiful. There is a framed picture of the larva in my home office.

Chuck · by Chuck » Mon Mar 10, 2025 12:46 pm

Eurytides, those photos are great, and the first one is spectacular. It made me really appreciate the beauty of the larva.

Chuck · by Chuck » Mon Mar 10, 2025 12:23 pm

Trehopr1 wrote: Mon Mar 10, 2025 2:22 am Are you donating these books somewhere?
Do you have a buyer for the whole lot?
If someone is interested in a few select titles would you
entertain sending them to an interested party if postage is paid ?

Perhaps not surprisingly (though it was to me at first) most institutions have ALL the books, as in every significant publication. I've even seen them pick up a collection, and leave D'Abrera and other books behind; I've seen stacks of early 1900s books with the staff waffling whether they should toss them because they have multiple copies.

My driver is to dispose of the books, all of these. I haven't asked Cornell, but I suspect they either have them, or aren't particularly interested. Certainly, I'd rather have them in the hands of one of our small number of members than Ebay. So if someone wants these I'd be happy to share them out, by photo or as an entire lot, for a nominal cost.

adamcotton · by adamcotton » Mon Mar 10, 2025 9:57 am

adamcotton wrote: Sat Mar 08, 2025 1:04 pm Release of the hormone that initiates diapause is triggered by daylength during late 4th instar and 5th instar larval stages. Generally, less than 14 hours daylength is supposed to trigger diapause in many butterflies that diapause as pupae.

Adam.

Perhaps my meaning was unclear, the hormone triggered by lower daylength does not affect the larva during its development, all it does is trigger diapause after pupation. It does not cause larvae to go into diapause upon production, they just carry on eating as normal.

Adam.

adamcotton · by adamcotton » Mon Mar 10, 2025 9:21 am

Chuck wrote: Sun Mar 09, 2025 10:00 pm Around August 15 there are still many female P solstitius. And, of course by then, many larvae. What happens to the early 4th instar larvae? What do they do? I presume that eggs laid on August 15 are generally doomed, but the larvae soldier on as long as they can?

Nothing happens to the early 4th instar larvae, they grow and then pupate and all these pupae will go into diapause. Eggs laid after August 15th should be fine, as long as there is another month to 6 weeks for the larvae to develop. Larger larvae do very well even on older leaves, so the lack of young growing leaves at 4th and 5th instar should not be a serious issue for them later in the year. Here in higher tropical temperatures Papilio larvae take about 3 weeks to go from hatching to pupation, presumably this takes longer at lower temperatures.

Adam.

Trehopr1 · by Trehopr1 » Mon Mar 10, 2025 2:22 am

Are you donating these books somewhere?
Do you have a buyer for the whole lot?
If someone is interested in a few select titles would you
entertain sending them to an interested party if postage is paid ?

Trehopr1 · by Trehopr1 » Mon Mar 10, 2025 2:11 am

I think that it is some superb photography !
Butterflies make for very wary subjects...

Well done.

livingplanet3 · by livingplanet3 » Sun Mar 09, 2025 10:17 pm

The botanic garden in Fort Worth, TX is having its annual butterfly exhibit in the conservatory. I went last week. It's a bit of a drive from where I am, but I think it was a worthwhile trip. Their conservatory is densely planted and has a rather nice collection of tropical plants, including some large palms and cycads, and a good-sized mango tree.

https://fwbg.org/events/butterflies-in- ... d_source=1

I was able to get at least a few reasonably good butterfly photos:

Morpho peleides -

Siproeta stelenes & Heliconius melpomene -

Caligo telamonius -

Heliconius melpomene -

Chuck · by Chuck » Sun Mar 09, 2025 10:00 pm

adamcotton wrote: Sat Mar 08, 2025 1:04 pm Release of the hormone that initiates diapause is triggered by daylength during late 4th instar and 5th instar larval stages. Generally, less than 14 hours daylength is supposed to trigger diapause in many butterflies that diapause as pupae.

Adam.

Interesting. In 2024, August 15 we dropped to 14 hours.

Around August 15 there are still many female P solstitius. And, of course by then, many larvae. What happens to the early 4th instar larvae? What do they do? I presume that eggs laid on August 15 are generally doomed, but the larvae soldier on as long as they can?

Kevin, IIRC the dipause experiments on Tigers was done indoors. That is a good question, because there are many significant difference between sunlight and indoor lighting.

I don't recall (I should go back and read) the impact of the elevation of the sun at ~14 hours of light. I wonder if it's not the total hours, but some measure of "quality hours" of light. Those who've spent time in the tropics know the sun comes up with a shot, and 30 minutes after sunrise it already throws heat one can feel. And then when it sets it's very fast. So say there's 12ish hours of light that day in the tropics, but it's mostly very powerful light. Contrast that with NY, where the sun rises slowly and has no heat, and then at the end of the day again has not real strength for the last hour plus.

Perhaps related? In KY in mid-Summer the Tigers shut down about 90 minutes before sunset; in NY it's closer to 2 hours.

livingplanet3 · by livingplanet3 » Sun Mar 09, 2025 8:33 pm

I actually do have that Yasuda/Okajima "Beetles of the World" book, although mine is a later printing. It has no English text whatsoever, but the hundreds of hand-drawn illustrations are superb. As for the rest of the books shown, I don't personally have any of those, but I'm certainly familiar with many of them.

eurytides · by eurytides » Sun Mar 09, 2025 8:24 pm

I checked my records. I found them on Oahu and Kaui.

eurytides · by eurytides » Sun Mar 09, 2025 8:08 pm

Xuthus is everywhere in Hawaii. Summer form was on the wing when I visited some years ago (both times during the winter months in the north). It was easy to find eggs and larvae on citrus.

Chuck · by Chuck » Sun Mar 09, 2025 5:04 pm

58chevy wrote: Sun Mar 09, 2025 4:31 pm Nice library! It brings back lots of memories. I have some of those books, including the century-old ones, but not all. I hope you will hang onto them instead of diposing of them when you move.

Nope. These I don’t use. Believe me I’m keeping enough books. 3/4 of my collection is going as well.

58chevy · by 58chevy » Sun Mar 09, 2025 4:31 pm

Nice library! It brings back lots of memories. I have some of those books, including the century-old ones, but not all. I hope you will hang onto them instead of diposing of them when you move.

Chuck · by Chuck » Sun Mar 09, 2025 2:30 pm

Purging my reference book collection in anticipation of moving, and thought you guys might like to take a stroll down memory lane.

You likely have some of these books from your younger days. Some predate even [name redacted LOL] and are over 100 years old.

mothman55 · by mothman55 » Sat Mar 08, 2025 11:35 pm

I saw a number of them on Kauai in January of 2023.

adamcotton · by adamcotton » Sat Mar 08, 2025 9:49 pm

Strangely I was told by the person who brought me some that in Hawaii it only ever produces summer form specimens. I find this hard to believe, but it would be interesting to know whether that is true or not.

Adam.

Chuck · by Chuck » Sat Mar 08, 2025 9:16 pm

jhyatt wrote: Sat Mar 08, 2025 3:52 pm Does xuthus still fly on Hawaii? I seem to recall that it had established there several decades ago.

jh

It did as of about seven years ago. I can’t imagine it disappeared.

kevinkk · by kevinkk » Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:13 pm

I admire all the work that gets done sorting out these species that look very similiar to me.

The subject of day length interests me, typically I raise anything indoors under a timer,set with outdoor conditions. I read that many breeders use boxes and I am curious about the amount of light it might take to trigger the stage before a diapause.
Is ambient light enough? I'm just curious, not like I am planning on doing a study ..

58chevy · by 58chevy » Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:08 pm

Nice! How big is the biggest Dynastes?

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Re: Papilio xuthus

Re: Papilio xuthus

Re: Remember these reference books? And antiques

Re: New Papilio described today

Re: New Papilio described today

Re: Remember these reference books? And antiques

Re: Butterfly exhibit

Butterfly exhibit

Re: New Papilio described today

Re: Remember these reference books? And antiques

Re: Papilio xuthus

Re: Papilio xuthus

Re: Remember these reference books? And antiques

Re: Remember these reference books? And antiques

Remember these reference books? And antiques

Re: Papilio xuthus

Re: Papilio xuthus

Re: Papilio xuthus

Re: New Papilio described today

Re: Some Dynastes. And Goliathus