McGuire Center Florida Museum of Natural History April, 2009 Issue 3 UF University of Florida News From the editor: The first two issues (2007 & 2008) of the McGuire Center McGuire Expeditions News were dedicated to re- search and collections, and to exhibits and outreach, respec- Exploring the World of Lepidoptera tively. Though the above activi- ties always continue at the Cen- Staff of the McGuire Center routinely ter, the current issue is dedicated conduct field research all over the world. almost entirely to the work that The studies range from simple collecting of McGuire staff and students select groups of Lepidoptera by specialists, conduct in the field. This is in to surveys of whole countries, their parks, keeping with the overall mission or specific sites proposed for conservation, of the McGuire Center and of and to conducting studies in the fields of the Florida Museum as a whole community ecology, behavioral sciences, to explore, interpret, and pre- genetics, or biogeography. serve the global biodiversity. Keith Willmott conducted a 3-week collecting trip to Ecuador. To date, he has visited 51 localities in the provinces of Loja, Zamora-Chinchipe, El Oro, Cañar, Guayas, Manabí and Pichincha, concentrating on In the current issue: the dry to moist forests of the “Tumbesian” Expeditions region of endemism. He made the following New collections discoveries on this short trip: ButterflyFest The restricted-range species resembling Diaethria ceryx was recorded for the first time Grants & Awards in coastal mountains in Manabí, representing a Student research probable new subspecies. A record of Epiphile adrasta calixta in Manabí represents a significant Publications range extension. The southwest Ecuadorian endemic Local outreach Perisama aldasi was recorded at only the second known site. Capture of Selenophanes josephus in and more El Oro province is a significant range extension for a species formerly known only from extreme northwestern Ecuador. The west Ecuadorian/ Peruvian endemic swallowtail species Protesilaus earis and Heraclides epenetus were recorded at 9 localities in 4 provinces and 11 localities in 3 provinces, respectively, information that will be essential in assessing the species’ IUCN conservation status. The very rare riodinid Archaeonympha urichi was collected in western Ecuador for the first time, very significantly extending its known range. Collection of two supposed subspecies of Eurema elathea in broad sympatry suggests they are distinct species, one of which is endemic to southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Specimens of Leodonta tellane from Loja province appear to represent an undescribed subspecies. A Photos: Collecting at Fundación Jocotoco’s Reserva Jorupe, Loja; Scada zemira (Ithomiinae), a species significant number of other records of species in endemic to the Tumbesian region; Showing butterfly Loja and Manabí represented either specimens to Ecuadorian children; Puddling Actinote north or south range extensions, and species. distribution data gathered will be Read more about field research Visit http://www.butterfliesofecuador.com/ essential in modeling species ranges on pages 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10. for more information about the project for biogeographic studies. UF McGuire Center for McGuire Expeditions continued from p.1 Lepidoptera and Biodiversity University of Florida Several lepidopterological expeditions were entire nation of Vietnam. Even this first trip Florida Museum of Natural History led by John Heppner during 2008 and in has resulted in numerous new records and P.O.Box 112710 February 2009. Resulting samples provided new species of moths for Vietnam. Gainesville , FL 32611 nearly 50,000 moths and butterflies, plus Following the Vietnam expedition, John for general information many thousands of smaller insects, for visited Panama and Guatemala also to phone (352) 392-5894 the FSCA/McGuire Center collections. sample Lepidoptera. Sites visited in Panama e-mail: [email protected] Samples will be shared with host nations in included Sierra Llorona Reserve (Colon each case as the specimens are processed Prov.), Cerro La Vieja and El Valle (Cocle McGuire Center News and identified. Many new records, new Prov.), and Finca Suiza Reserve (Chiriqui ISSN # 1938-3029 species, and notes are already published or Prov.). In Guatemala, John visited Finca in publication manuscripts resulting from Tarrales, on the slopes of Volcán Atitlán Editorial Board: Christine M. Eliazar Thomas C. Emmel Andrei Sourakov Jaret C. Daniels Jacqueline Y. Miller Editor/designer: Andrei Sourakov contact: [email protected] Photography: Ninh Binh is an area in northern Vietnam, near Cuc Phuong National Park Andrei Sourakov John Heppner Eric Zamora Debbie Lott these expeditions. (Dept. Suchitepéquez), Fuentes Georginas Mary Warrick Jaret Daniels In June 2008, John visited Vietnam. This by Volcán Zunil (Dept. Quetzeltenango), Jessica Johnson Charlie Covell trip concentrated on northern Vietnam the Reserva Quetzal (Dept. Baja Verapaz), Keith Willmott Delano Lewis (the former Tonkin), with local logistics Green Bay in the Reserva Sierra del Mico, Andrew Warren Kim Davis Court Whelan Mike Stangeland arranged by Dr. Vuong Pham, Vice-Director near Puerto Barrios (Dept. Izabal), and San of the Plant Protection Research Institute, Lorenzo in the Reserva Sierra de las Minas McGuire Center Staff in Hanoi. Sites visited included Tam Dao (Dept. Zacapa). Almost 20,000 moths were Atwater, Montana: Technical Research Asst. National Park (75km north of Hanoi), obtained from these two expeditions. Austin, George: Collection Manager Barszczak, Lukasz: Technical Research Asst. Ba Be National Park (a natural lake area In February 2009, John led the first Checa, Maria Fernanda: Graduate Asst. towards the Chinese border), Cuc Phuong American lepidopterological expedition to Covell, Charles, Ph.D.: Visiting Scientist & Curator National Park (a rainforest area south of the southcentral African nation of Malawi. Daniels, Jaret, Ph.D.: Asst. Prof. & Asst. Curator Hanoi), and Ba Vi National Park (45km Malawi is the former Nyasaland and is Duerden-Rawls, Lorraine: Tech. Research Asst. Eliazar, Christine: Administrative Asst. west of Hanoi). About 10,900 Lepidoptera at the southern end of the East African Emmel, Thomas, Ph.D.: Center Director were obtained. Continued expeditions are Rift Valley system, south of Tanzania, Fu Kasey; Technical Research Asst. planned each year to eventually survey the bordered by Zambia in the northwest and Heppner, John, Ph.D.: Curator Krickovich, Jillian: Technical Research Asst. Lehnert, Matthew: Graduate Asst. Lewis, Delano: Graduate Asst. Matthews Lott, Deborah: Technical Asst. McCowan, Michael: Technical Research Asst. Court Whelan led a research and education trip to McManus, Valerie: Graduate Asst. southern Ecuador. He and Tom Emmel also made Miller, Jacqueline, Ph.D.: Curator & Adjunct Prof. scouting trips to Honduras and Papua New Guinea and co-led two trips to the monarch butterfly overwintering Padron. Pablo Sebastian: Graduate Asst. sites in Michoacán, Mexico. Park, K.T., Ph.D.: Visiting Scientist & Curator Paris, Thomson: Grad. Research Asst. Pence, Akers, Ph.D.: Research Tech. Saarinen, Emily: Graduate Asst. Salcedo, Christian: Graduate Asst. Sanchez, Stephanie: BFCI Program Coordinator Saunders Jonathan; Research Tech. Schlachta, James: Constr. Coord. & Asst. Director Segebarth, Ian: Tech. Resesarch Asst. Standridge, Matthew: Technical Research Asst. Sourakov, Andrei, Ph.D.: Collections Coordinator Thom, Matthew, Graduate Asst. Thongpravati, Pajaree: Tech. Research Asst. Trager, Matthew: Graduate Asst. Warren, Andrew, Ph.D.: Postdoctoral Research Westberry, Wendy: Technical Research Asst. Whelan, John Court: Graduate Asst. Willmott, Keith, Ph.D.: Asst. Curator 2 McGuire Center News, Issue 3, April 2009 Keeping Up with Kentucky Lepidoptera When Charlie Covell left the University have ranged from 23 in 1988 to 46 in of Louisville, KY, in July 2004 to join the 1992. Total individuals have ranged from staff of the McGuire Center, he was afraid 109 in 1979 to 4,316 in 1993. The most that he could no longer work on surveying recent count yielded 36 species and 2.041 and monitoring the moths and butterflies individuals. Actual numbers of butterflies of the state in which he had been working present cannot be precisely extrapolated for forty-five years. However, thanks to from the results of any given count, as the dedication and enthusiasm of friends there are several factors that affect the Malawi, at base of Mt. Mulanje, southern Malawi still in the Bluegrass State, the Society results. Some of these factors are: weather Mozambique in the south, with most of of Kentucky Lepidopterists continued its patterns during the months before the its eastern border on Lake Nyasa (Lake program of several field trips each year count, weather conditions on the day of Malawi). Local arrangements were made to various parts of the state, and holding the count, and number of experienced by long-time resident lepidopterist, Ray an annual meeting at the University of lepidopterists leading groups of counters Murphy. Sites visited included several in Kentucky each November. It is in the in the study area. The last-mentioned the southern half of Malawi: Ntchisi Forest Entomology Department there that the factor determines how much area can be Reserve (Ntchisi Dist.), Senga Bay Forest former University of Louisville Insect covered during the period of 10:00 AM to Reserve (by Lake Nyasa, Salima Dist.),