One of my favorites…..C. coccinata. Any idea about the one at bottom where yellow marker is? It’s unlike any other coccinata I’ve seen. While dark, it has all the wing markings of coccinata…..maybe a mere melanistic form/abberation???

Hi all,

I ordered a bunch of butterflies ~300 specimens from insect-sale.com. Has anyone recently ordered insects from them into the US? Did it arrive in good condition without any issues with customs etc? Do I need a permit to get this delivered to me in the US? I will be using it for personal purposes and I am located in Montana.

TIA!

Have this info on the back of a carded specimen, but not sure about the second word. "Madagascar Mortmanga" maybe?

Hi all,

I ordered a bunch of butterflies ~300 specimens from insect-sale.com. Has anyone recently ordered insects from them into the US? Did it arrive in good condition without any issues with customs etc? Do I need a permit to get this delivered to me in the US?

TIA!

A. virginiensis & D. rubicunda (along with A. stigma) are common in the pineywoods north of Houston. I captured a couple of males sitting on a wall back in March. Yes, the transparent forewings are very cool. I once saw about a dozen of them hovering in place about a foot off the ground. Impressive sight. Also, I've heard that a revision of the Anisota genus is in progress (Peigler), so some new species might be popping out. Not sure when.

Appreciate the updates, thanks. So we will be patient. There are so many species and changes, it will be worth the wait if it is as good as the other MONA publications.

Ever see the males in the daytime? They are pretty cool with transparent forewings.

With A. oslari I had never seen a male until I put out a virgin female and within 30 seconds, I had about a dozen males swarming me at Pena Blanca Canyon a couple of years ago. It's interesting that something can be so common and you never see it.

papilio7119 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 3:31 pm Over time the netting material has disintegrated. I am trying to rebuild them and have tried using other netting materials but really liked that stuff better. Does anyone know/ recall what it was made out of?

I think he used plastic screen door material in his traps. Very heavy and UV resistant.

John

@vabrou thank you so much for sharing these very inspiring designs! About your bait trap with the automated collecting chamber: in the chambers where you use ethyl acetate, how do you dose it so that it lasts for 24 hours? Are you using a doser that drops something every half an hour, or just pour a certain amount over a small towel and how many ml exactly? I am in a tropical country but it does not get hotter than Louisiana summers so that should work well.
I would love to use Sodiumcyanide or KCN, but havent found a source for it yet, in Germany we could get KCN until about two years ago from entomological stores.

Hi Kevin,

We've talked before. I'm sure if things aren't done with the necessary precautions, things can get out of hand. But where I live in the Midwest, prairie burns (done locally with breaks) increase help wildflower diversity. Species like our native Speyeria benefit from burns. Violets also increase.

There's no such thing as a "controlled burn" Ask the CA Dept. of Forestry. When I lived in Humboldt, they had 2 get of of hand and caused a mess.
There is a database of Pacific Northwest leps I use, never heard of the NABA, doesn't sound like I want to.

Just by chance, I came across an Anisota virginiensis yesterday evening -



I can't recall if I've seen this species here before, though I do remember finding Dryocampa rubicunda on a few occasions, years ago -



I've always been fascinated by Ceratocampinae. There are many small species that are much lesser known than those in familiar genera such as Citheronia and Eacles. For example - Adelowalkeria tristygma (Brazil) -

I completely agree. Their stance on collecting is only backed up with emotional reasoning. They should all stop driving cars because cars kill way more butterflies than collectors can catch. They also seem to be antagonistic to different habitat management practices which is something I don’t understand. Stuff like controlled, local burns and haying. I think it’s a shame that Naba seems to have more power than an institution like the Lepidopterist’s society that has a much more balanced approach.

I’m friends with some people who associate with Naba so I appreciate the work that they do. But I just wish they would stop with this “hands off nature” stuff because I think it will have some pretty dire consequences.

I personally do not like NABA's anti-collecting stance. They sometimes harass collectors, so I try to avoid NABA people. I keep a copy of P.17 of the Kaufmann Field Guide in my car, which explains that collecting has almost zero effect on butterfly populations and that the "bad guys" are the ones who destroy habitats, such as real estate developers and big commercial farms. Having said that, I acknowledge that the goal of NABA is to preserve butterfly populations. I think we can all agree on that. Before Glassberg founded NABA, he was a collector. He didn't denounce collecting until he had collected every species he wanted.

I saw my first 3 butterflies (2 Mourning Cloaks and an Eastern Comma) in the first week of March. Not bad for Wisconsin! It was like 70 degrees that day.

Hello everyone,

I am new to this place. I'm really into all macro-Lepidoptera but especially butterflies and Saturniids. I do butterfly counts and sightings as well as collecting, rearing, and breeding. I'm sure this topic has come up before, but I would really like to hear people's thoughts on the North American Butterfly Association and Jefferey Glassberg.

Also, those who do counts and sightings as well, what database do you use?

Regards,

Ethan

Another underwing species which shows considerable
variation is the Tearful Underwing (Catocala lacrymosa).

I will try to periodically post pictures of some of my most
interesting examples of this species but, for now this will
be a start.

Here I offer a quite (typical) example of the species
which is most often encountered.


This specimen below, offers a very nicely "marbled"
appearance which is rich in light grey patches, caramel
zigzags, and black regions/overtones...

A lesser seen/encountered variation of C. relicta
is this one. Unlike, the much more salt/peppered
look of (form) phrynia this one seems to have more
"stabilized" boundaries where the black/white meet.

This is just my humble opinion and for all I know this
(could) be another form with a name. Although, I am
unaware of any for this one.

This specimen was collected in Sayner, Wisconsin in
August 1947.

Wonderful species !

Surely, one of THE most respendent and unusual catocala
species to encounter in northern N. America is this one:

The White Underwing (Catocala relicta)


The common name derives from it being a white-colored
member of the Catocala clan. This is quite unique as most
all other species are varying shades of grey, brown, or black
on the forewings.

The species name (relicta) comes from the Latin "relictus"
which means forsaken, lost or abandoned --- a clear
reference to other common names it is known by such as
Forsaken Underwing or the Relict Underwing.

Adults have a wingspan typically between 70-80 mm. The
species is variable in its markings with the "whitest"
individuals being a named form ---clara. Other, more
salt & pepper colored individuals are known as form ---phrynia.
Yet, still there remain others which don't quite "fit" either of
those named forms.

The species lives in southern Canada but, may be found in
many of the "northern" states bordering Canada. It has worked its
way down a bit further in places. Here in Illinois it is rarely seen
or encountered and if so it appears localised.

Only recently, I was able to acquire 3 relatively fresh specimens
of this incomparable species (for which I am very grateful). These
are Canadian in origin and are mighty special when one cannot
typically find or collect any oneself !