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Post by Adam Cotton on Mar 11, 2023 19:20:18 GMT
I know that Thailand is a tropical rainforest Tropical, yes, forest ... theoretically 11% but much of that is protected (no collecting in protected areas) or degraded, and very little is REAL rainforest. Much of the forest, except in the far south is seasonally bone dry (primary forest is teak except at higher altitude above about 900m) but quite wet in the rainy season. Which best month is a beetles with collecting in North-Thailand and South-Thailand ? The answer to this question really depends on which groups of beetles you are looking for. Currently it is the dry season in northern and central Thailand, and it is the season for small oak flower feeding Cerambycidae and Cetoniinae. Many other species emerge with the rains, usually in early May, but they are sometimes delayed to later in the month or early June in a drought year. The main 'beetle season' is from then until October with different species emerging at different times. Note that some beetles are protected under Thai law - it is illegal to catch, possess etc etc specimens of these species in Thailand, whether they originate in Thailand or another country; see here for a list of protected insects: www.collector-secret.com/blog/list-protected-insects-thailandI am not familiar with the beetle seasons in southern Thailand, as I live in Chiang Mai, but probably different species are found most of the year, as there is less of a distinct dry season in the peninsula, although there are separate 'dry seasons' on the east and west coasts. That on the west coast in particular is not completely 'dry', with rain showers much more often than here in the north where we can go without any rain at all from November to April. Sorry I cannot be more specific, not being a beetle person. Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jan 26, 2023 10:51:39 GMT
This paper was published (open access) today: Cassar, L-F., Catania, A. & A.M. Cotton 2023. A new subspecies of Papilio saharae Oberthür, 1879 (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) from Lampedusa, Italy. Zootaxa 5231(1): 65–78. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5231.1.5 Abstract An investigation into the only representative of the genus Papilio on the island of Lampedusa, the largest island of the Pelagian group, was conducted as part of a broader Mediterranean-wide study on the machaon complex. Over a three year period, adults, larvae and ova were collected for further research during field visits, while an in-house breeding programme involving wild-collected gravid females was initiated with a view to examine an adequately sized series of specimens. A total of 38 adults, including 23 male specimens, >150 ova, 233 larvae, and 220 pupae were examined. In addition to a thorough morphometric assessment, statistical tests were performed using one-way ANOVA and multivariate analysis. Results demonstrate morphological characters of P. saharae and, to a lesser degree, of P. machaon, suggesting that the taxon is plausibly the outcome of a hybrid swarm whose occurrence on the island was facilitated by Pleistocene lowstands (when the island was physically connected with the north African continental landmass, the taxon’s centre of origin). Based on results, involving all four stages of metamorphosis, it is proposed to ‘anchor’ the taxon to Papilio saharae Oberthür, 1879 and assign it subspecific status, aferpilaggi ssp. nov.The paper can be downloaded here: www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5231.1.5/49810Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jan 1, 2023 20:45:18 GMT
Happy New Year to all ICF members and readers. Let's hope that it is a good year for entomology.
Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Dec 29, 2022 14:41:32 GMT
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Post by Adam Cotton on Dec 10, 2022 22:05:13 GMT
Sorry I cannot answer your question well myself, hopefully a US based member can. I remember there was a supplier called Bioquip which was sold recently, perhaps the new owner has what you are looking for.
Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Dec 10, 2022 13:59:11 GMT
It would help if you state which country or region you live in, eg UK, EU, USA, or maybe even somewhere in Asia or Australia.
Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Oct 12, 2022 12:15:57 GMT
French Guiana is 'collector friendly' but it is not a very good place to collect Papilionidae. For some reason they are rather scarce in that country and butterflies don't mud-puddle in large numbers like in many countries. Here in Thailand although permits are not needed legal collecting is very difficult now, because almost all good places are inside protected areas. That just basically leaves a very few places where you can legally collect any butterflies other than the about 20 protected species. I think that Laos would be a better option, and there are some people who offer guiding services for collectors too. Steeve Collard in Luang Prabang offers this service (or he did before the covid lockdowns) and there is a Lao friend of mine in Vientiane who also used to act as a guide, mainly for Japanese collectors (not cheap though, as transport etc is all included). The comment by teinopalpus that buying specimens of Papilionidae in fairs (or online from EU dealers) would be much cheaper than going on a trip and hoping to be there at a good season is definitely a valid point. Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Oct 9, 2022 9:03:23 GMT
I asked Inayoshi-san, and he thinks this should be S. eamesi.
Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Oct 7, 2022 15:32:45 GMT
What is the locality data for the specimen?
Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Oct 6, 2022 10:33:42 GMT
Thank you for the compliment on the book, but I should point out that I was not the author of this work. The front cover is rather confusing for anyone (like me) who does not read Japanese. My name is there because I was an editor of the book (responsible for editing the English and advising on most of the taxonomy - except Parnassius) with my late friend Yasusuke Nishiyama, but the sole author is Makoto Nakae.
If you want to travel to collect Papilionidae inside the EU you should be aware that most countries have restrictions on collecting.
Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Sept 20, 2022 15:40:34 GMT
No, 'Mimoides' are themselves Parides mimics. They are not distasteful, unlike Parides which are full of aristolochic acid.
Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Sept 20, 2022 13:50:18 GMT
Interesting to see a moth (not butterfly) which mimics Parides. Sorry I don't know what it is.
Adam.
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Hi !
Sept 5, 2022 10:38:07 GMT
Post by Adam Cotton on Sept 5, 2022 10:38:07 GMT
Welcome manlio, Please tell us about your interests in insects. Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jul 19, 2022 22:09:55 GMT
Several groups of Papilionidae have also developed blue pigments. This book chapter may be of interest: doi.org/10.5772%2F32410Adam.
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Post by Adam Cotton on Jul 19, 2022 8:36:58 GMT
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