Hi Again,

Success in getting a species name on number 2 - Glenea (Glenea) aluensis Gahan 1897...

Cheers!
Bandrow

Howdy,

Numbers 4, 10 and 11 are in another huge genus, Tmesisternus. Numbers 6, 8 and 9 are in yet another big genus (although getting smaller in numbers than the two previous), Acalolepta. Number 7 is in the genus Cylindrepomus. Number 5 is a mystery to me - I'll have to dig more on that one.

That's really interesting to learn that the Leptorhabdium is a legitimate Fiji record - thanks for verifying that. When we think of "invasive species" we tend to think of things coming into the U.S., but it's easy to forget that it's a two-way street and we export as many species as come in. As for long-horned beetles, Neandra brunnea and Neoclytus acuminatus have both been introduced from the U.S. into Europe and are spreading there.

I'll post species-level dets on these if and when I get them...

Happy Holidays to everyone!!
Bandrow

Greetings,

Here are some more names, at least to the genus level. Images 2, 3, 12 and 13 are species in the genus Glenea sensu latu. This genus is one of the largest in the Cerambycidae, probably exceeding 500 or more species, primarily distributed in SE Asia and the greater Indo-Australian region, with a few in Africa. It has been broken into a number of genera recently. I'll see if I can narrow these down to at least a species-group.

More soon...
Bandrow

Merry Christmas, my friends. Thanks to Adam for starting this. You all contribute so much to not only my knowledge, but my enjoyment, of entomology.

Chuck wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 3:19 pm Well before WW2 Papilio aegeus had become established in Solomon Islands.

Yes, and it was named oberon by Grose-Smith in 1897 ... well before even WW1, although it only occurs on Santa Cruz. Presumably it either never reached the main islands, or it was unable to compete.

Adam.

Have a great time, whether you celebrate or not.

Adam.

bandrow wrote: ↑Sun Dec 24, 2023 12:38 am The last one without a doubt is Leptorhabdium pictum - an eastern U.S. species in the Lepturinae, and feeds in dead, rotting wood. So, this one is clearly mislabeled - knocking off the low-hanging fruit first!

Thanks Bob!

Actually, I owed you the photos for ID, so figured I'd just post them here for everyone.

I assure you the label on the Leptorhabdium pictum is correct.

Even Hawai'i aside, the Pacific is loaded with US and Asian invasives, largely thanks to WW2. US-origin war materiel flooded into Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and particularly Solomon Islands. And of course a lot of this stuff was transshipped, so (for example) a US east coast invasive in a box would quite commonly go through the Panama Canal, to Hawai'i, then to Vanuatu and finally reach Solomon Islands.

The best known invasive for those who've suffered in Solomon Islands is the horrible little stinging pissant AKA Electric ant Wasmannia auropunctata. I was told it came in during WW2. Maybe, maybe not. It is originally from Central and South America. Hate these things, I've been stung thousands of times by them. Hate them.

I have two very small Ascalapha odorata from Solomon Islands. Well before WW2 Papilio aegeus had become established in Solomon Islands. Fiji's invasives I'm no very familiar with, but I'm not surprised that a beetle from NE USA was found in Fiji, since Fiji was a transshipment location for war-bound US goods.

Thanks and looking forward to more IDs!

The second piece of fruit is #1 - this is a species of Anthribidae - the fungus weevils. The length of antennae relative to body length in some tropical species rival the Cerambycidae, and these are often sold on commercial sites as cerambycids. The antennae differ in length between the sexes like in many long-horned beetles as well.

The last one without a doubt is Leptorhabdium pictum - an eastern U.S. species in the Lepturinae, and feeds in dead, rotting wood. So, this one is clearly mislabeled - knocking off the low-hanging fruit first!

Greetings!

I'm going to accept this as a poke and a challenge, as I should have done this months ago!! The bark beetle work this year has consumed all of my time - one of the worst years ever - but that excuse is getting old for anyone that knows me. Give me a day or two and I'll get you as many names as I can...

Thank you for your patience, Chuck...

Cheers! Bandrow

I would also point out that the Bishop Museum (Hawaii) along with one or two of the major Australian museums and of course the British Museum all have what is arguably the best identified collections of material from the South Pacific region !

Hi Chuck,

Perhaps a visit to your nearby Cornell University will render some identifications. If you could spend one or two afternoons looking through their systemic identified Cerambycid holdings you could match up some of these to what they may have. They may even have your specimens somewhat separated out by region which will cut down time in searches. For example, they may have a cabinet or two just devoted to material from the South Pacific. Or, they may put small color coded dots in the upper right hand corner of the unit trays to indicate region.

The color coded dots "idea" came into play in the late 1980s/early 1990s when some of the larger institutions began integrating their numerous private holdings which for a long time were kept separate from each other. This way instead of a researcher looking through several different collections for a particular species or genus he would only have to go to perhaps one cabinet and have all of the holdings from several collections compressed into one place for ease of finding what was specifically needed.

At least, this is the approach the museum I worked at for 8 years took. Your specimens all appear to be on the small side and they come from a region that most enthusiasts will have no knowledge of. Enthusiasts, tend to be most familiar with what they can collect (personally) or with what they can get through dealers.

Of course, dealers only tend to sell showy material and Malaysia and Indonesia (for example) are what one finds mostly on the market. Several other places that once had offerings have dried up over the years.

Taking note of your last sentence after all of the pictures tells me that they are in good hands and you should simply ask Bob if he has had any chance to identify them.
Carnegie has some strengths among their collection although, I am uncertain if their holdings of South Pacific material are very good or even identified.

Any IDs would be appreciated! Click on image for larger view.

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#13. What's with the head? What am I looking at?



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These are now with Bob at Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

This fascinating and curiously striking genus of giant silkworm
moths has captivated and enthralled enthusiasts since it was
first given name. In the tropics of both Central and South
America these moths have taken on a riotous profusion of
species.

Their success as a group directly correlates to 3 primary
evolutionary adaptions:

A.) Their ability (through camoflage) to blend in --- in plain sight.

B.) Flash coloration of eyespots to startle would-be-predators.

C.) Of coarse, the very "prickly" and poisonous nature of their larvae.

Having acquired several new species for my collection
this year I thought that I would share in their wonder.











Some of these pictured species are seldom offered or encountered so, they may only be acquired when older collections are parted-out or sold.

Chuck wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2023 7:51 pm North, it's only observed (in iNat) just north of Penang.

Actually, the northernmost record in iNat is on Penang Island, not north of it. I have a paper recording it from Terengganu on the east side of the Malay Peninsula, but I guess less iNat contributors go over there.

Adam.

FWIW, iNaturalist shows the species only near the end of the peninsula and the west coast. North, it's only observed (in iNat) just north of Penang.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observation ... _id=347385


Of course, it's on the islands too. On Sumatra, oddly there are no observations on the east/NE coast- not Medan, not Tingii, not Pekanbaru. Though those areas are ecologically destroyed.

Paul K wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2023 3:54 pm That is interesting as Cameron Highlands is only about 100km south of Yala without any barrier. I wonder what is it that restrict the species to move northwards .

I suspect it may either be an environmental issue or perhaps the food plant does not occur further north. Inayoshi-san asked me earlier if I know of any records in northern W Malaysia, but without careful checking I really can't remember any.

Adam.

adamcotton wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2023 10:44 am

Paul K wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2023 2:02 am Adam

Is T.brookiana still can be found in some south regions of Peninsular Thailand and if so do you know exact location.

No, it has never reliably been found in the far south of Thailand. There are a few specimens with labels stating 'Yala' (the southernmost province) in Europe, according to Haugum & Low's monograph but despite many people looking for it, including a friend of Inayoshi-san who lives there, no-one has ever seen it.

I should also add that the story of T. brookiana occurring in southern Burma near Moulmein is also absolutely untrue. Greg Watson sat in Singapore in 1975 and paid some people to go there across the Thai border (actually absolutely impossible at that time due to the tribal war there) to collect butterflies. Of course all they did was go to Cameron Highlands and then back to Singapore. Greg Watson believed them, and told Jan Haugum who put the information in his book. Also it does not occur in Langkawi Is. or the Andaman provinces of Malaysia and Thailand, so it is highly unlikely to be in southern Burma, nor is it in the high mountains (Khao Luang) in Nakorn Srithammarat, which is basically the northern extension of the Malay mountain range. If it was in Burma it would have been found during British colonial days, as the Burmese peninsula was widely collected then.

Adam.

Thank you Adam

That is interesting as Cameron Highlands is only about 100km south of Yala without any barrier. I wonder what is it that restrict the species to move northwards .

bobw wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 7:00 pm I've only found time to watch the second, shorter video so far. Love the blue streaks on the underside! They do seem to keep themselves in remarkably good condition. In the second video, I only noticed one that had any damage at all. Shame there weren't any females.

adamcotton wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 7:17 pm
Female Papilionidae don't sand/mud-puddle, and definitely not with males.

We touched on this in another thread: puddling Papilio males that are almost always in excellent condition, inferring they are recently emerged, which itself infers that they need the salts only after emergence and not after.

Interesting paper on genetically differing populations of African Ciclids (fish) cohabiting the same waters. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4700518/

Take-aways: (1) populations are genetically isolated despite being capable of interbreeding because of mating preferences; (2) the same situation is suggested for western US stick insects of the genus Timena, Heliconius, Drosophila, Anopheles, and a slew of non-insect animals.

In the case of the African Ciclids, the authors suggest that speciation may have started only 500 - 1000 years ago.