Mark Colvin

[Colin Knight]

Wurzel, I have had the pleasure of joining Mark at Wisley and Earnley the past couple of years and finding ids for some of the tropicals has been a challenge! We have managed to id all we have photographed, sometimes after hours of web searching. Wisley has an id chart of many of their species and the attendants are often are able to assist, but not all of the butterflies that emerge are known to them as ids do not always accompany the pupae they receive from suppliers. This is what makes regular visits to the same butterfly house so interesting, you never know what you will see.
I find these two websites particularly helpful: http://wanda.uef.fi/botania/galleria/perhoset/
http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Br ... inapis.htm

I use these books - some of them are available second hand from Abebooks at low prices: Butterflies of the World by H.L.Lewis; The Dictionary of Butterflies and Moths by Allan Watson & Paul E.S.Whalley; Butterflies by Thomas C. Emmel.

This gallery has 58 tropicals photographed at Wisley and Earnley during the past two years which you might find useful: http://www.colinknightimages.com/Nature ... utterflies

Some species are particularly difficult - see Mark's blog comparing Kallima inachus with Kallima paralekta (RHS Wisley, 10 February 2012 – Part 12). Also Heliconius melpomene (Postman) in my gallery - I'm still not certain of my ids here. Polymorphism in females such as Papilio dardanus (African Mocker Swallowtail), which can have at least 14 forms, can add to the difficulty of identification.

Good luck!

Colin

[Susie]

Life and death in the glasshouse ...

I bet Mr Frog thinks he is on his holidays I hope the foreign food doesn't disagree with him.

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Wurzel,

Thanks for your message.

There are a number of resources I use for the identification of tropical species. I am already familiar with most of the more common species found in butterfly houses in the UK. However, sometimes its not so easy. As Colin mentioned in his post “Some species are particularly difficult - see Mark's blog comparing Kallima inachus with Kallima paralekta (RHS Wisley, 10 February 2012 – Part 12). Also Heliconius melpomene (Postman) in my gallery - I'm still not certain of my ids here. Polymorphism in females such as Papilio dardanus (African Mocker Swallowtail), which can have at least 14 forms, can add to the difficulty of identification”. The Papilio memnon group, which are regularly seen in butterfly houses, can also be difficult as hybridisation regularly occurs; the females are also highly polymorphic; etc ...

I use several online resources including the following:

http://en.butterflycorner.net/Butterfli ... 300.0.html
http://butterfliesofamerica.com
http://www.butterflycircle.com/checklis ... /startpage (which contains some pictures to die for)

In addition, there are two main suppliers of pupae to butterfly houses in the UK. Getting hold of a copy of their stock lists will also help as it allows you to rule out many species in the first instance.

http://www.oxfly.co.uk/index.html
http://www.butterflyfarm.co.uk/pupaeshop/index.php

Of course my pièce de résistance is my regular access to the collections of the Hope Department of Entomology at Oxford.

Good hunting.

Kindest regards. Mark

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Susie,

I hope the foreign food doesn't disagree with him.

With the Asian Swallowtail he was mixing a bit of Indian, Chinese and Indonesian all in one!

Definitely a case of 'Delhi Belly'

[Wurzel]

Cheers for the info Colin and Mark I'll have a good gander at those websites tonight

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Mark Colvin]

Rewell Wood, 25 January 2013

Work or freeze ...

Today, I met up with Neil Hulme and Simon Mockford (SDNPA Ranger), and two volunteers from the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) at a grey and extremely cold Rewell Wood near Arundel in West Sussex.

As mentioned in a previous diary entry, the woodland here is cut on a rotational basis in order to help create and maintain ideal conditions for the Duke of Burgundy, which resides at this important woodland site in increasing numbers. The work carried out by the Norfolk Estate, the various partner organisations and individual conservation volunteers, continues to open up this woodland for the benefit of many species.

In addition to the Duke of Burgundy, the nationally declining Pearl-bordered Fritillary can be seen here from late April to early June. The day flying Geometrid, the unfortunately but aptly named Drab Looper (Minoa murinata) can also be found here; this being one of its last strongholds in West Sussex; it has not been known from East Sussex since about 1960. Adults are on the wing in two broods from late May through to late June, and again from early July to mid August. Their larvae are associated with wood spurge. Another moth of note, and one of my favourites, is the beautiful and 'fairy-like' Green Long-horn, Adela reaumurella. The males have long pale antennae, the females somewhat shorter, darker, and white tipped. The forewings of both sexes are a beautiful metallic bronze-green in colour. The adults, which can be seen on the wing during May and June, sometimes occurring in swarms.

Thanks to Neil for the last picture of a very hard working volunteer

I look forward to our next session ...

[Mark Colvin]

European Water Vole

"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats”

Rat, Chapter 1 ...

Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows


Captured whilst feasting (no toads in sight) ...

http://markcolvin.blogspot.co.uk/2013/0 ... ius_7.html

[Mark Colvin]

Plaistow, West Sussex, 27 February 2013

Season's first ...

In the late afternoon sun ...

[Wurzel]

Cracking start to the year Mark - I've yet to see my first of the year

Is it just me or does it seem browner on the underside than those from later in the year which are almost black?

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Wurzel,

Thanks for your message.

I have to say I was rather pleased to find it myself. I had gone out to my garden shed in order to fill up my bird feeders and happened to glance at a small dark patch on an otherwise sunlit area of fence. It's probably been overwintering in the shed or a nearby log pile.

Is it just me or does it seem browner on the underside than those from later in the year which are almost black?

I can't say I noticed anything unusual about its colour and don't forget this would have been an individual from last season anyway.

Good hunting.

Kind regards. Mark

[Wurzel]

Alright Mark?

"I can't say I noticed anything unusual about its colour and don't forget this would have been an individual from last season anyway"

It seemed browner but it was possibly just the light or more probably my eyes

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[Mark Colvin]

Heyshott Escarpment, 6 March 2013

Silky bites the dust …

I was obviously working far too hard …

[David M]

Could it perhaps be that you tried to bisect a trunk far too thick for the tool in hand?

We all do it. Richard Smith broke the brushcutter last weekend during a BC scrub clearance. My shoulders are still sore as a result of the compensatory clipping I had to carry out as a result!

[Mark Colvin]

Plaistow, 7 March 2013

Concentrating on the detail ...

Most identification of Lepidoptera does not require the use of a dichotomous key (a means for the identification of organisms based on a series of choices between alternative characters), but relies on pattern recognition and learning the species verbatim from images in books and the internet, the ability growing with experience. However, in most other large orders (e.g. Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera) even the beginner must learn from keys, or diagnostic characters to be able to distinguish taxa even at the family level. Although there are exceptions, it is generally not until the lepidopterist begins to tackle the microlepidoptera that the use of morphological characters (e.g. genitalia, wing venation and body structure) becomes commonplace, and often a prerequisite, in aiding identification.

Most butterflies and moths have two pairs of overlapping scaled wings. These are comprised of an extremely thin double membrane with rigidity provided by a network of nervures (the hollow ‘veins’ which radiate from the base of and form the framework of the insect’s wing). The pattern of nervures is different for each genus of butterfly and, as such, this is one of the key criteria used by taxonomists when classifying butterflies.

To venture a little deeper, the fore and hindwings of most moths, though not all, are united during flight by a coupling apparatus, the frenulum (a bristly structure on the hindwings that holds the forewings and hindwings together). This particular mechanism is never found in butterflies, in which the wings are held together only because the front pair overlaps the hind to a considerable extent. The amount of this overlap is increased by the humeral lobe, a special projection found only in butterflies, and situated at the basal end of the costa on the hind wings. This type of arrangement is known as amplexiform (clasp-like) wing-coupling.

The image below, of a female Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae), shows the humeral area, close to the rear and either side of the thorax. In addition, key wing venation is visible, including the radial and medial veins on the hindwing and the radial, cubital and anal veins located on the forewing. The discoidal cell of the forewing is also clearly discernable.

A Humeral area
B Radial nervure (vein)
C One of the medial nervules
D Radial nervure (vein)
E One of the cubital nervules
F Cubital nervure (vein)
G One of the anal nervures (veins)
H Discoidal cell

I appreciate that this level of detail, which by no means is digging very deep, is not to everyone’s interest. However, for those who have the time and the inclination to do so, I thoroughly recommend looking a little closer and you will soon discover a whole new world full of fabulous hidden wonders …

Try it sometime ...

[Mark Colvin]

Hope Department of Entomology, 11 March 2013

My first attempt at photo-micrography ...

Thanks to Darren for providing access and to Katherine for her guidance and patience

The living ovum of the Brown Hairstreak (Thecla betulae) ...

[Vince Massimo]

Great stuff Mark .
Could you add it to the Species Album when you get time please.

It would be interesting to know a bit more about the technique involved. Is this a stacked or single image?

Regards,
Vince

[Mark Colvin]

Hi Vince,

Glad you like the picture, though having seen what can be produced I've got a long way to go ...

When I know more about the system and become familiar with its use I'll try to give a detailed overview of what's involved. What I can tell you is that the Brown Hairstreak picture is made up of around 50 separate images all montaged together. The setting up is the most critical part of the process e.g. selecting and positioning the specimen below the microscope, adjusting white balance, setting the exposure and accurately focusing on the monitor; this wasn't easy with the egg and I didn't achieve the result I wanted. Once these factors have been set, along with a few other important parameters, its just a case of selecting the two extremes of focus on the stack and hitting the go button - well there's a bit more to it than that really but this should give you a rough idea of what's involved.

My second attempt below.

Watch this space ...

Kindest regards. Mark

[David M]

You are going way beyond the call of duty here, Mark.

I dread to think of the time you've invested thus far.

These images are both fascinating and much appreciated.

[Mark Colvin]

Thanks David.

I appreciate your comments

Good hunting.

Kindest regards. Mark

[Mark Colvin]

Hope Department of Entomology, Oxford

Research …

Over the past couple of months I have been fortunate to spend some considerable time in the good company of Pete Eeles at the Hope Department of Entomology at Oxford’s University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH). As we all know, Pete has added, and continues to add, considerable value to the UKB website and it has been my pleasure to join him on what can only be described as a mutually rewarding adventure of discovery.

As an example of our earlier and continuing research the Large Blue (Phengaris (Maculinea) arion) has played a significant role. Our studies have involved tracking down specimens from lost colonies and reviewing historic literature relating to their final outposts e.g. from areas including North Cornwall, South Devon, Somerset, the Cotswolds and Barnwell Wold in Northamptonshire. The image capture process, expertly undertaken by Katherine Child (OUMNH), has provided an excellent means of better understanding the original descriptions and has provided an excellent graphical means of comparing regional colonies. Some of the specimens we have selected for inclusion are historic in their own right, in that they have been used in past reference works, not least, the Barnwell Wold specimens of P. arion from the important Dale collection, which feature on Plate 12, Figures 1 and 2, in Butterflies by E. B. Ford (pictured below).

Of the literature, which has been reviewed, the diaries and correspondences of the late James Charles Dale (1792-1872) have transported us to a period when Large Coppers, Mazarine Blues, Swallowtails, Bath Whites and other lepidopteran wonders graced our countryside. The middle image below, showing Dale's log from circa 1835, is of particular interest as it details the capture of Papilio arion, now Phengaris arion, from Mouses Pasture, Bromham near Bedford. Examination of other diaries in Dale's archive also indicate reference to this location. This is the first time we have seen reference to this locality in any publication. Dale’s diaries and communications have sometimes been a challenge to read, but the effort has been worth it, as their contents continue to take flight into our imagination.

The search continues …

More on Dale and his diaries in the future ...