Volume 2 – 15 June 2008 A newsletter for the Pyraloidea fans Welcome to the second edition of Recent publications ro) and more information is available at The Pyraloid Planet (PP), an informal on Pyraloidea systematics http://www.soceurlep.org. A workshop newsletter dedicated to the transfer of on Pyraloidea is not yet planned at this information among people interested in If you are interested to learn more point. Pyraloidea taxonomy and systematics, about recent publications on Pyraloidea mostly. systematics, please go to www.pyral- To be added to (or removed from) the oidea.org, enter the database, go to the “Membership” list, or for changes to literature report, and type the year you your addresses, please contact me. You are interested in. If you come across a New material of Pyraloidea are welcome to forward The Pyraloid paper on the systematics of Pyraloidea from French Guiana avail- Planet to whoever may have an inter- that is not in GlobIZ, please advise Mat- able for study est. Please send me the addresses and thias Nuss (address below) or the Editor emails of anyone you might want to see of The Pyraloid Planet. A list of recent Between March 25 and April 16, 2008 added to our “Membership” list. references on Pyraloidea was submit- I was able to travel to French Guiana This issue of PP is marked by the recent ted by S.-H. Yen and the information with my technician, Corinne Reuteler, passing of Dr Eugene G. Munroe and was incorporated into GlobIZ by Mat- to collect moths, especially micros. Dr Hiroshi Inoue, both of whom made thias Nuss and myself. My friend Daniel Néron joined us for significant contributions to Pyraloidea the last 12 days of our stay. We were taxonomy. Below you will find several based at Camp Patawa, on km 36 of contributions recounting the lives and Kaw Road, in the middle of the beauti- works of these prominent lepidopterists. ful forests of the Kaw Mountains. The texts that are not signed below are Congresses Owned by two French entomologists, my responsibility. This issue was made one of whom speaks English, Camp possible with the help of Fuqian Chen, The 59th Meeting of The Lepidop- Patawa offers food, lodging, and mer- Christian Guillermet, Louis Handfield, terists’ Society will be held June 23 cury-vapour lamp collecting facilities. James Hayden, Houhun Li, Florence through 27, 2008 at Mississippi State Collecting went well and we came Marteau, Wolfram Mey, Matthias Nuss, University, MS, U.S.A. back with more than 710 specimens of Jay Shaffer, Michael Shaffer, Alma Solis, For more information please check Pyraloidea, mostly pinned and spread and Shen-Horn Yen. http://www.lepsoc.org. for all smaller specimens, pinned for Unless a new editor would like to stand the larger ones, and in alcohol for a few up, I plan to produce the next issue, The 23rd International Congress of destined to be used in molecular phylo- which I hope will come out next year. Entomology will take place in Durban, genetic studies. The dry material will The logo of The Pyraloid Planet was Republic of South Africa, between from all be labelled soon and subsequently created by Florence Marteau of the July 6 to 12, 2008. available for study. Please contact me if Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Geneva, Check http://www.ice2008.org.za. you would like to borrow some of these Switzerland. And the layout of this issue specimens. was made by Florence as well. The XVIth European Congress of Lepi- dopterology will be held in Cluj, Roma- Bernard Landry nia between 25 and 31 May, 2009. The Editor The Congress organizer is Dr Laszlo Bernard Landry Rákosy ([email protected]. 1 Passing of two prominent imagine more gracious hosts. lepidopterists and pyraloid I was amazed at the depth of Gene’s workers knowledge of Lepidoptera, not just taxonomy, of which he had few if any Eugene G. Munroe equals, but of evolution and ecology as 8.ix.1919 – 31.v.2008 well. Gene had a propensity for “getting it right” and I quickly learned not to ask Dr Eugene G. Munroe passed away in idle questions as Gene would always his 89th year in a hospital in Ontario, find the answer to any question no Canada. He had been in poor health matter the time required! Working with for some time. His outstanding con- Gene was both a privilege and a pleas- tributions to entomology have set him ure and I will miss him. apart as one of the greatest, and his knowledge of Pyraloidea was unparal- From Michael Shaffer : An Appreciation leled. I am proud and honoured to of Eugene G. Munroe have had him as my mentor and MSc In happier times of 2000 the excellent thesis advisor and although I hadn’t well deserved ‘Festschrift in honour of been in touch with him these last few Eugene G. Munroe’ was published in years spent away from Canada, I sent Tropical Lepidoptera and covered the him my papers on pyraloids and the many reasons why he is held in such first issue of PP, which, I like to think, high esteem throughout the scientific he was happy to see. A Festschrift in world and especially by those who his honour, including a bibliograph- Eugene Munroe in his house in 1993. were fortunate enough to know him ical sketch and list of his publications well and work with him in one capacity was published in Tropical Lepidoptera or another. The Festschrift introduction (2003, vol. 11, 1–58) on the occasion of house. She was very gracious, invited written by Alma Solis covered Gene’s his 80th birthday. Condolences, dona- me to visit, and we worked 18 hours background, distinguished academic tions, or tributes may be made at www. a day to finish the first draft. Gene’s career and the honours bestowed on tubmanfuneralhomes.com. Following knowledge of details was astounding. him, plus the enormous influence he are texts sent by Alma Solis, Jay Shaf- He would remember obscure papers had in the development of our know- fer, and Michael Shaffer. with descriptions of taxa and morphol- ledge on the Pyraloidea groups. ogy. Then he would put on his hard hat Above all, I know you will agree, Gene From Alma Solis : (so that he wouldn’t whack his head) is the acknowledged authority on the I was very fortunate to have spoken to and go down into his basement to fetch Pyraloidea through the last century and Gene within a month of my becoming the paper for me. It was a privilege to beyond and was the undoubted suc- a graduate student at the University work with Gene who had devoted most cessor to Sir George Hampson in this of Maryland. Ron Hodges arranged a of his life to the Pyraloidea and I bene- respect. The understanding and pro- meeting with Gene in October 1982 so fited greatly throughout the years from gressive development of the Pyraloidea that I could explore the idea of doing his deep knowledge of the group. through Gene’s publications, combined my PhD research in Pyraloidea. Gene with his research work on many uncom- was very kind and over a 4 hour period From Jay C. Shaffer : pleted manuscripts, and his impact suggested several projects. I told him I first met Gene, then Dr. Munroe to me, on major collections, has greatly pro- that I was having a real problem in tell- when as a graduate student my advisor gressed and stabilised our knowledge ing genera apart in the Pyraustinae so Jack Franclemont took me along on of the systematic relationships of this we went into to the NMNH collection. a trip to Ottawa and we stayed with important complex group. Those of The cabinets were very close in the old the Munroe family. Gene and I had us who had the wonderful opportunity hall and there was barely enough room little contact for some years thereafter of working closely with him and were for him to pull out a drawer. I was genu- until I sought his help with the Aldabra inspired by his efforts, were also gifted inely astounded when he proceeded to Crambidae project. I had not worked by his generosity in imparting beneficial describe the small nuances of the fore- with Pyraustinae before and desper- knowledge. Of major importance was wing pattern that allowed him to iden- ately needed help understanding gen- the fact that Gene always recognised tify the genera. The differences were eric relationships. I frankly admit that and stressed that a working know- minute and very, very subtle. So we I was in awe of Gene and viewed our ledge of world fauna was paramount continued like this talking on the phone meeting with some trepidation. None of and taxonomists should not be forced almost weekly and sometimes daily to this was helped by my arriving in Pitts- to restrict their researches to a more solve small problems for the Neotrop- burgh and finding the Ottawa flight can- limited local fauna. More than most ical Checklist. We met every October celled, then zigzagging my way across Gene was able to acquire this neces- at the NMNH when he was driving the Midwest and finally arriving late in sary information through travel, to visit south or north to Sanibel Island where Ottawa. Not to fear, Gene and Isobel nearly all major museums and other he and Isobel would enjoy the sun and met me at the airport, took me to din- institutions to study their collections in seashells (he was very interested in ner, and made me feel at home at once.