• FOUNDED VOL.6; NO.2 1978 JULY 1984 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOUTHERN LEPIDOPTERISTS' SOCIETY, ORGANIZED TO PROMOTE SCIENTIFIC INTEREST AND KNOWLEDGE RELATED TO UNDERSTANDING THE LEPIDOPTERA FAUNA OF THE SOUTHERN REGION OF THE UNITED STATES. REJOINDER TU BRYANT MATHER other than skippers, I would be pleased to know of it. Second, Mather dislikes the SOUTHERN LEPIDOPTERISTS' NEWS 5:1 arrangement of the photographs. This was Robert M. Pyle out of my hands and often at odds with my Swede Park, 369 Loop Road suggestions. Third, common (English) names Gray's River, WA 98621 Again I had no choice but to employ them, and therefore to coin some new ones. I at­ Thank you for the opportunity to reply tempted to use names that conveyed somethin to Bryant Mather's "Critique of the about the organism better than reiteration Audubon Field Guide" (SLN 5:1, May 1983, of the Latin or a patronym would do. If page 3). As with the remarks of scores Mather dislikes my choices, that is his pre of lepidopterists and others who have rogative. A joint Committee of the Xerces communicated with me about the book, Society and the Lepidopterists' Society is Bryant's comments are appreciated and I currently attempting to standardize English have duly noted them and forwarded them names for American butterflies, so a future to the editors for their consideration. edition my be able to rely on such a list. You were correct in your editorial note I certainly agree that the sole use of com­ when you explained that I was working mon names as photo captions is highly unfor­ under constraints imposed by the Chant­ tunate. I argued hard on this issue, but icleer Press series as a whole. I ex­ the series style was bound to be followed plained this and other exigencies per­ even for insects and fungi! Wten Mather taining to the book's production in the states that I never give the full name of t1 News of the Lepidopterists' Society. butterflies, he apparently means "including The fact is that the book was going to the author." Of course the Johnson's (aka be written, and its traits which Bryant Mistletoe) Hairstreak is identified as Mitot finds so objectionable were inevitably johnsoni; but not as ~. johnsoni (skinn~ to be part of it. I regretted this but because again the editors would not counten­ accepted the challenge of writing it ance it. Non mea culpa. anyway, hoping to sprinkle it with ac­ curate natural history, pepper it with I am saddened that Bryant fails to comment references to needed habitat conserva­ on any of the book's virtues, but amused by tion, and make it educ?tionally access­ his final judgement that it will "set lep­ ible. These aims I largely accomplished. idopterology back for half a century, at least." You add in your editorial note that Looking at Bryant's individual complaints it is a useful beginners' guide. I would the first related to the use of the term like to suggest that it is, with all its de­ "true butterflies." If there is a bet­ tects, rather more than that: no other book ter concise English term for butterflies (continued page 6) page 5 page 6 REJOINDER CONT'D tion by the U.S. Department of the Interior or the Okefenokee Swamp as n National Wild­ presents so much natural history of North lite Refuge. Another was the founding ot American butterflies, nor as many useful the Tall Timbers Research Station, near Tall­ portrates of butterflies in (mostly) life ahassee, Florida, which today houses the bulk situations. of the Lucien Harris, Jr. butted ly and moth collections. Judging form my mail, the guide has made butterflies accessible to a great many Lucien's interest in butterflies developed people who otherwise might neglect them. in his teens and twenties, when his native Many of these are youngsters who hope to Georgia was still largely underdeveloped, continue the study. Since we all know and the butterlfies and other forms of wild­ that youthful enthusiasm and young re­ life were abundant nearly everywhere. In cruits are the lifeblood of lepidopter­ 1931, he published A List of the Butterflies tit~suggests, ology, I like to think that Bryant's of Georgia, which, as the droll conclusion is exactly the oppo­ was essentially an annotated checklist of site of the Audubon Field Guide's true the species taken in the state up to that impact on the field. time. A revised edition, edited by Austin H. Clark, was published in 1950 as The But- Since this book was far more a labor of terflies £i Georgia, Revised, with substan- love than livelihood, I remain interested tial new records and an extensive bibliogra- in its accuracy and improvement. Should phy by Mr. Clark. Thus, the groundwork was there be another edition, corrections and laid for Lucien's culminating work, The new facts will surely be included. There- Butterflies £i Georgia, published by Univers- fore I welcome any comments on the book ity of Oklahoma Press in 1972, whose useful- wh a t ever, be they pOS1't'1ve, nega t'1ve, or ness as . a fieldguide..extends well beyond the mear 1y chur11S· h • . boundar1es of Georg1a to v1rtually all the ==-=-====-_==:=.=:;.===='"'-'==-==-'-....,..-=-=:=-=-_.. _~e.ast.,. excepL..the s.ubtropica 1 regions of Florida. In addition to these accomplishments, Lucien LUCIEN HARRIS, JR. (1899-1983) was a charter member of the Lepidopterists' Society and a member of numerous other as­ A TRIBUTE sociations dedicated to scientific and con­ servationist pursuits, and over the years Well known to all lepidopterists in the received substantial recognition for his Southeast as the author of Butterflies achievements. Perhaps the greatest recog­ £i Georgia, Lucien Harris, Jr. died on nition was the naming of a new species of February 22, 1983, in his 84th year, Giant Skipper in whose discovery he played after a long illness. a major role Megathynus harrisi by H. A. Freeman in 1955. Although he will be best remembered for his contributions to lepidopterology, Lucien Harris, Jr. will be sorely missed Lucien spent a lifetime in the study and by all who knew him personally, and the many conservation of the natural history of his of us who benefited in countless ways from native state, Georgia, and of the South­ his knowledge and his enthusiasm for the eastern region ot the U.S. He had a keen butterflies and other wildlife he knew so interest in birdlite as well as butterflies, intimately. in botany, and in the geology of theregio~ Irving L. Finkelstein In 1929, he and a group of close friends December 6, 1983 in various branches ot science who shared an interest in natural history and con­ servation, founded the Georgia Society of (NOTE: A more detailed tribute to Lucien Naturalists, which organization he served Harris, Jr., also by Irving L. Finkelstein, as president for many years. Among the will appear in an issue of the Journal of the group's accomplishments was the designa- Lepidopterists' Society in the near future.) pa/!-c 7 BUY, SELL, TRADE BECOME A MEMBER fOR SALE: Top quality Imperial brullcl To join the Southern Lepidopterists' Societ Lnsect pillS. $17 per 1000, with a mill­ just send the current dues of $5.00 to the Lmum ol-der- 01 SOOO pins, ollering sizes treasurer TOM NEAL, 3820 NW 16th PLACE, 000 - 7, postpaid arlu insured. AdJitioll­ GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA 32605. You will be al spec.::dics un Elephant bUlnd, stai.nless put on the mailing list for our quarterly and minutiens are available on request. news letter and also receive our periodic Venlon A. Brou, Rt. 1, Box 74, Bulletin. You will be kept "up to date" Edgard, LA.,70049 on whats happening around the South con­ phone (504) 497-3203 cerning butterflies and moths. SO JOIN ,', ,', ,', ~:, ,', -), ,', .::: .:: ..,', NOW and tell a friend! ADS IN 11-11S SECflON ARE BY MEMBERS ONLY PAPIlIO POlYXENES KAHlI? lIFE HISTORY NOTES reared 15-20 Papilio polyxenes asterius NEITHER OF THESE TWO LARVAE HAVE in 1983 for the tun of it. Allot the EVER BEEN ILLUSTRATED BY PHOTO, green pupa emerged in '83 while all of the Sphinx francki i brown pupa overwintered to 1984. reared ex ova or, Ash (Fraxinus), All specimens emerged as "normal" asterius ex female taken and were released except for one overwinter­ by John Coffman, ing pupa which emerged this spring as a Timberville, Va. yellow banJed female identical in all re­ summer 1983. spects to a reared female P. kahli in my collection. I am now checking to make Photo X 1/2 sure that the "kahli" I have are truely such. Photo by 1 also am interested in what evidence John Coffman anyone may have to lend weight to the possibility of kahli being a subspecies ot polyxenes. I know this possibility has been posed in the literature, but what evidence is there? I tind it inter­ esting that a wild caught larvae of aster­ ius redred in a "normal" environment would produce a perfect kahli phenotype, as com­ paired to my alleged kahli. I got my kahli trom a "uealer" in Arctic and Canadian species. It they prove not to be kahli I would encourage others to double check any "kahli" they may have purchased or exchanged tor. Someone may be pawning oft some atypical Manitoba asterius as kahli. Larvae of Cocytius antaeus (Sphin9idae) on Pond Ron Gatrelle Apple (Annona glabra) found at Fakahatchee Strand, Collier County~ida in November 1983. Photo X 1/2, by Steve Roman. s==============================================: page 8 ZONE REPORTS: ZONE I TEXAS.