InsectNet forum

adamcotton · by adamcotton » Sat May 25, 2024 9:06 am

This is a flying ant (reproductive male or female, not sure which), perhaps genus Oecophylla. Ants are not my speciality, but I have seen these before. I seem to remember that the species in S Thailand has a green abdomen, rather than orange here in Chiang Mai. This ant is often found in fruit trees, where they build nests made by weaving leaves into a ball. They are voracious predators and eat any insects that feed on the leaves of the trees.

Note that the worker ants are wingless.

Interestingly the larvae of some Lycaenid butterflies live in these nests, mimicking ant larvae.

Adam.

nitinra · by nitinra » Sat May 25, 2024 5:00 am

Chuck wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2024 11:55 am I have a bin of various dried US leps you can have. They are of course papered and dried, so would require softening in order to be spread.

I'm amazed I even have any. I always kept many extras around for projects such as this, but it's been a long time since anyone had asked me so I unloaded thousands last year to an institution.

So I can send 100 or more if you want. But why not have the kids catch then set fresh specimens? It will be easier to set them, and the specimens would be theirs.

Which tribe/ nation are you working with?

Dear Chuck,
Thank you so much! Can you please PM me your price? Getting parental/school permits to collect butterflies is a lot more work for the university (University of Montana) and handling 50-60 kids would be difficult in the field. I will be relaxing the specimens 48 hours in advance and then get them to pin. I will be working with the Flathead reservation tribe school students. They will be taking the specimens with themselves. We will have half a day of butterfly walk (no catching in the wild, but I will be catching a few to show them some interesting biology), followed by DNA extraction of a few Pieris butterflies that we have reared in the lab and pinning. I unable to send you a PM.

lamprima2 · by lamprima2 » Sat May 25, 2024 3:49 am

Kevin,
I've just sent you a PM, please check.
Thanks

Boertje · by Boertje » Sat May 25, 2024 3:05 am

Hello

I am curious as to what species this is.

I've tried Google as well as Google Lens. Both continually and completely ignore the wings.
I've also tried searching based on the head, thinking that perhaps the mandibles are a distinguishing feature.

This is the second one I found. It was early morning (relatively) and still cool (relatively), so I am assuming it was waiting for the sun to hit its spot, it seemed very languid.
Location is south of Thailand, rural environment.

I am ready to be educated

Thank you!
B

lamprima2 · by lamprima2 » Sat May 25, 2024 12:40 am

Congratulations!

eurytides · by eurytides » Fri May 24, 2024 8:34 pm

Paul, both canadensis and glaucus can be found in the GTA region. MST isn’t expected until July, or maybe mid June this year given how warm it has been.

Paul K · by Paul K » Fri May 24, 2024 8:10 pm

Today May 24 I’ve seen 3 Papilios here in Toronto area ( north of) and I suspect that they must have been MST as we don’t have here either P.glaucus or canadensis.
I’ve seen about 100 P.canadensis two days ago 150km north of Toronto, they were all fresh and many came to mud puddling (Urine bait).

Chuck · by Chuck » Fri May 24, 2024 6:01 pm

I noticed for all "P canadensis" for this year in NY on iNaturalist, the observations east of Interstate 81 are wrong- they are all Spring Form. Also noticed most are on the ground.

So I headed a bit south where there are two ponds with shores, and watercourses, etc. Saw two. Drove 20 minutes south into the Bristol Hills, and saw nothing. Saw one on the way, one on return, both at valley level.

Observed 4, captured 0

Chuck · by Chuck » Fri May 24, 2024 12:27 pm

Magnificent!

Chuck · by Chuck » Fri May 24, 2024 11:50 am

Surely, somebody must have studies and published on this hump. Right? It is rather obvious. I mean, we have people publishing on Tortricidae, and this is far more interesting.

lamprima2 · by lamprima2 » Fri May 24, 2024 4:42 am

Interestingly, even the larvae of Liminites have a "hump", which is roughly corresponding to the “flipper” found in chrysalides and the cluster of setae in adult butterflies. Here: Full-grown larva of the red-spotted purple Limenitis arthemis astyanax (Fabricius). Photograph by Donald Hall, University of Florida (from https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/).

: red_spotted_purple04.jpg (35.9 KiB) Viewed 69 times

: red_spotted_purple05.jpg (32.26 KiB) Viewed 69 times

kevinkk · by kevinkk » Fri May 24, 2024 12:22 am

Bump!
The end, or almost end result. After 60 days in the fridge at 49f, and just under 30 days we have a male adult, having prior knowledge of what
can happen, he's going into a glass case in a few weeks.
These are big moths, big body, the wings measured at 122mm

Chuck · by Chuck » Thu May 23, 2024 8:09 pm

I checked my wild-caught arthemis, astyanax, and archippus. The abdomen is humped there, though few have much in the way of a tuft of hair. I wonder if it's a wear item that gets lost with age/ use. But the astyanax and arthemis, at least, have a consistent hump, which I'd have just written off as the way it dried. Interesting.

Chuck · by Chuck » Thu May 23, 2024 7:10 pm

23 May 2024: four observed, one captured

To think- last year I had 40 days in the field before a single Tiger capture. This year, two in two days. And the first female Spring Form! Nectaring on Hesparis matronalis (dame's rocket).

Look at that sold yellow submarginal line. The black line on the wing along the abdomen is almost as wide as canadensis.

adamcotton · by adamcotton » Thu May 23, 2024 5:40 pm

Igarashi & Fukuda (2000 - The Life Histories of Asian Butterflies vol. 2) illustrate pupae of several Asian Limenitis species, and those all have a similar 'hump'. Interestingly, illustrated pupae of Athyma species have a similar protruberance, but rather more ornate. Lebadea and Moduza species also have it, but somewhat smaller.

Adam.

Chuck · by Chuck » Thu May 23, 2024 5:18 pm

Liminetis arthemis pupae also have this, anyone have adults handy to look at/ photo?

bobw · by bobw » Thu May 23, 2024 3:49 pm

Yes Adam, both sexes ... and I believe in all Limenitis, certainly in the 4 or 5 species I've reared.

adamcotton · by adamcotton » Thu May 23, 2024 2:48 pm

Interesting. Presumably this 'hump' occurs in both sexes, if so it is not androconial.

Adam.

Chuck · by Chuck » Thu May 23, 2024 11:27 am

And nobody has ever noticed this???

lamprima2 · by lamprima2 » Thu May 23, 2024 4:47 am

A while ago, I posted a question on the possible function of
a flipper-like outgrowth on the base of the abdomen of Limenitis lorquini
chrysalides. Since then, the leps have eclosed. Both sexes have a cluster
of elongated setae on the base of the abdomen, corresponding to that flipper-like
structure of a chrysalis. Any thoughts about the possible function of these setae?

: L. lorquini previous post.jpg (497.67 KiB) Viewed 178 times

: DSC_7689 F. IN. jpg..jpg (545.01 KiB) Viewed 178 times

: DSC_7720 M. IN. jpg.jpg (540.89 KiB) Viewed 178 times

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