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Post by nomad on Jan 24, 2017 13:32:17 GMT
Some time ago, I wrote a small piece on Smith's Birdwings. See collector-secret.proboards.com/thread/807/smiths-birdwings. The late Dr Frank Smith collected British butterflies and moths that included the more daunting Microlepidoptera. Smith wrote
" My log book for 1959 proves that the weather has always been rare in Cornwall. Desperation drove me, after a brief, perfunctory, spell of collecting all insects groups, to seek solace and sunshine by exploring the world of tropical butterflies; of which I then knew nothing at all ". " Unavoidably, this could only be achieved by proxy, but it has been an absorbing therapeutic diversion ever since. The log and two separate files of correspondence etc, as well as the data on the specimens, contain the details of how the collection has gradually taken shape".
Smith's selection of Worldwide Butterflies is housed in a 15 drawer mahogany cabinet in the Bristol City Museum. There is nothing particular special about that, but what sets this collection apart from others are the notes Smith added of how he built up in collection from 1959 onward. Smith did not intend his collection to be a serial one, he wanted a pleasing and varied representation from the world lepidoptera for his own enjoyment. His collection with his personal notes is a time capsule for future generations to enjoy. Smith had a number of very nice things in his collection but first I will start with another Ornithoptera, for it is a very special one. A very large male of Ornithoptera priamus miokensis. I believe timmsyrj would especially like this. Smith obtained it from Paul Smart's Saruman Museum, then situated in Tunbridge Wells in Kent.
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Post by timmsyrj on Jan 24, 2017 16:46:26 GMT
" I believe timmsyrj would especially like this " indeed he does Peter, looks very much like the urvilleanus from neighbouring New Ireland as they can be greenish in colour, but as it's a hybrid and it's not self caught you can only go with the honesty of the collector/dealer and available data, some miokensis scream miokensis ( one on eBay caught by Ted Archer in '74 for example screams miokensis to me in wing shape, colour and markings) being a "very large male" also could mean urvilleanus, males are averagely larger than males of bornemanni so I would think miokensis would be intermediate.
Looks a stunning specimen either way.
Rich
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Post by nomad on Jan 24, 2017 16:57:07 GMT
I believe this is a genuine miokensis, especially as it came from Paul Smart and it was collected in 1972 ; long before the tricks of ebay.
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Post by nomad on Jan 24, 2017 17:04:13 GMT
Here is the drawer.
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Post by nomad on Jan 25, 2017 7:28:50 GMT
Species/data at the top of the images. Agrias claudia claudia f. wachenheimi Le Moult, 1926. Ex Eugène Le Moult collection. St Jean du Maroni, French Guiana. Bought by F. Smith from A.J. Muirhead, the Butterfly Centre, Plummer, Tenterden, Kent. Agrias claudia claudia f. rubronigra Le Moult, 1926. Ex Le Moult collection. St Jean du Maroni, French Guiana. Also acquired from the dealer A.J. Muirhead . Agrias claudia claudia f. subguyanensis Le Moult, 1926 Ex collection of the French Entomologist Gilles Séraphin From A.J. Muirhead. Anybody remember the dealer A.J. Muirhead, the Butterfly Centre, Plummer, Tenterden, Kent?
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Post by nomad on Jan 25, 2017 8:48:16 GMT
In Smith's note books he tells how he was able to acquire a number of Delias from Alfred Stewart Meek's original collections made at the Aroa River and Owgarra in British New Gunea. So he was learning quickly. There are five specimens of five species captured by Meek, here are three of them. They were obtained from a dealer called J. Meredith, who advertised in the Exchange and Mart. A number of the smaller dealers used this magazine, which sold just about everything. A guy called Wurzell from London was a regular advertiser of exotics in that magazine. It is said he filled his house from top to bottom with any winged Lepidoptera insects he could lay his hands on and became bankrupt. I guess that is the reason I never got my butterflies from him that I ordered in the late 1970s. Species names at the bottom of the images. D. niepelti niepelti Ribbe, 1900. Delias weiskei weiskei Ribbe, 1900. A rare species. D. ligata ligata. Jordan, 1904.
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Post by timmsyrj on Jan 25, 2017 13:54:09 GMT
Yes Peter, It does look more like miokensis now, when viewed alongside urvilleanus, the hindwing shape for me are smaller and more rounded towards those of bornemanni rather than the longer more angular urvilleanus. Though don't trust all data in that drawer , the top left male say arruana (hecuba) Aru island which is true for arruana but hecuba is from Kei island, and the bottom left two males of poseidon from Trobriand islands are not right, poseidon is mainland New Guinea, the bottom male probably is from Trobriand and looks like demophanes (though also looks a little like boisduvali from Woodlark island), the other poseidon male looks more like teucrus from Biak island or could be Poseidon f.cronus It also says from islands "east of Papua" Aru is west I believe.
Rich
P.S if that is a male boisduvali it could explain the dark female form of poseidon
As regards eBay and fake specimens etc, remember the Brimstone with red eyespots, fakes and poor data have been around for many years, it was easier to get away with it when selling specimens no one had ever seen before, now a days we just google it if we're not sure or ask Adam!
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Post by nomad on Jan 25, 2017 14:25:31 GMT
The Troiband priamus have been called Ornithoptera priamus demophanes but many believe the later is a synonym of poseiden from New Guinea and perhaps Smith adhered to this view, he was not an expert and added the names and localities, the dealers gave him. I have seen many demophanes and it is very variable. I certainly do not see any boisduvali from Woodlark island in this drawer. I would say that I am 99 per cent sure that is miokensis. The hindwings and colour are classic miokensis.
That is a very nice Ornithoptera priamus poseidon f. brunneus from Lae .
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Post by nomad on Jan 25, 2017 17:05:49 GMT
In our search for rarities and unusual things it was good to read the following of what Frank Smith writes in the drawer of birdwings shown here, regarding the female of O. priamus urvillianus. I certainly remember those feelings.
This O. priamus urvillianus bought for a £1 from R.N. Baxter, Forest Gate London in 1962 was my first birdwing. It was unset as originally papered with data Ysabel Island, Solomons 18. 2. 1901, name of captor unknown but at that date a classic specimen, Its sheer size amazed me, and I was then unaware of the brilliance of the males. The excitement of discovery reawakens whenever I look at this butterfly, more so than any other birdwing I subsequently obtained.
I have to say that if this specimen was actually taken in 1901, it can only have been collected by A.S. Meek. No one else was on that island during that year. Woodford was certainly in the Solomons during that period but by then he was the British Commissioner for the islands.
It is interesting that A.S. Meek visited Charles Woodford in the Solomons and gained valuable information
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Post by nomad on Feb 9, 2017 20:37:40 GMT
Lycaenidae from Papua New Guinea. Frank Smith writes, To my surprise an advert, which I put in the miscellaneous section of the Exchange and Mart in 1964, produced several replies. These led to contact with Mrs D. Perry whose husband was a clergyman at Mailu, Fife Bay, and through her, with Dr Nick Thompson and his with Jan, who were in charge of the mission hospital at Iruna. One of the replies suggested that I wrote to the Lae courier and this bought a letter from Maxine Grainger, the daughter of the governor of the prison at Lae. Though none were previously particularly interested in butterflies, all of these kind people set about collectingon my behalf with enthusiasm.
It seems Britain's trade rag (1868-2009), was read widely, even in Papua New Guinea. Considering the following specimens were caught for Smith by Thompson, an amateur collector in Papua NG, they have faired reasonably well. Male specimen of Hypolycaena phorbas silo Fruhstorfer, 1912. Iruna,Papua 14.5.1968. N.P. Thomson. Danis phroso Grose-Smith, 1897. B.d ' Abrera (2003) Butterflies of the Australian Region states. Range South-western to Central West Irain. Papua? Checking that work, page 324, this is seems to be that species. Female. Tanoboda, Papua, 12 October, 1965. N.P. Thomson. Danis phroso Grose-Smith, 1897. South Papua 14 October, 1965. N.P. Thomson. female specimen of Catopyrops ancyra mysia Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914. 25 July, 1965. Iruna Papua. N.P. Thomson. Philiris species. 25 July, 1965. Iruna Papua. N.P. Thomson. Labelled Eupsychellus dionisius (Pithecops) Boisduval 1832. Igup, Milne Bay Papua. August 1966. N.P. Thomson.
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Post by nomad on Feb 10, 2017 10:55:16 GMT
It would be nice if nomihoudai could give us his opinion on these Lycaenidae, common or rare, ID correctly. I believe congratulation are in order Claude.
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Post by nomihoudai on Feb 11, 2017 12:38:02 GMT
I'm still lacking proper literature for Papua, but I'm giving my best:
- Hypolycaena phorbas is most likely right. The subspecies show a lot of diversity. - Danis phroso is correct. - The Catopyrops looks rather large and the shade of blue odd, I would think that it is a Jamides. - There is no way to ID the Philiris without ventral view. At least not for me at the moment. - Pithecops dionisius is correct. It is a very common species.
Overall, all these species are very common. This is exactly what I would expect when asking someone to send me a random sample from Papua.
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Post by nomad on Feb 11, 2017 12:54:54 GMT
That's grand, thank you for the information.
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Post by nomad on Jun 30, 2017 16:29:34 GMT
A way back I photographed Frank Smith's O. alexandrae again, quite a nice large pair. Popondetta 1970.
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Post by nomad on Feb 13, 2018 20:17:21 GMT
Let's try to warm things up on here with some specimens. These Chrysoritis thysbe from South Africa are very nice. Must be amazing to see in the wild, anyone had the pleasure. Frank H.N. Smith was the author of The moths and butterflies of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 1997.
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