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Post by africaone on Mar 12, 2015 13:28:38 GMT
Going through the catalogue, There is lot 240 " Morpho godarti assarpai, remarquable gynandromorphe symétrique" Looking at the picture I did not recognize a gynandromorph, and this one has upper wings female and bottom wings male : is that possible ? I have never seen or heard about this before ! What do you think ? Is this a fake or it is possible ... A+, Michel yes it may be possible if the forewings are really female. I doubt the forewings are female, look more like male form in wich the external blue is diminished.
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Post by africaone on Mar 7, 2015 14:28:52 GMT
The problem with common names is one of language. Meaning and identity are often completely lost across language barriers. Lately I've been tracking with the activities of the the Lepidopterist Society of Africa, which is currently mainly focused on South African butterflies. When members of LepSoc resort to Afrikaans common names - which they often do - I'm at a complete loss. The other major issue I'm starting to see is that common names can be very misleading. Take for example the "Scarce Tree-Top Acraea" ( Telchinia pentapolis): from my experience it is neither scarce, nor does it stick to the tree tops. this a reason why latin have been adopted in nomenclature together the boniminal process (even by japanese and other non latin alphabets), it is a universel method that everybody understand
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Post by africaone on Mar 7, 2015 9:15:03 GMT
the family name "Satyrinae" answer quite to this request. Vernacular names are not submitted to any uniformisation or restricted rules as scientific ones.
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Post by africaone on Mar 3, 2015 7:08:14 GMT
"but it is very true to say that some people are not easy to work or discuss with ..." A+, Michel you are right Michel ! Image and reality are not always the same. Often in life, the one that holds the handle that is right, and to know how to speak is helpful.
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Post by africaone on Mar 2, 2015 14:21:29 GMT
How come some people can write a book about African leps without asking ABRI some info... Did they contact Turlin ? Does not seem very serious to me. G. levassori is not extinct at all. not so easy to work with ABRI
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Post by africaone on Mar 2, 2015 12:55:02 GMT
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Post by africaone on Mar 2, 2015 7:51:34 GMT
I had the same question to start with, but if you look on the bottom of the page in "forum information & statistic", then in "threads and posts", you have a "recent threads" button A+, Michel thanks Michel
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Post by africaone on Mar 2, 2015 6:54:21 GMT
many of us came from insectnet forum and in this forym there is the useful button "Newest Threads" I really like it because it avoids to lost (a lot of) time in scanning every threads and posts to read the recent ones. I didn't detect any equivalent function here ... Isn't is possible to add one ?
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Post by africaone on Mar 1, 2015 8:19:04 GMT
many amateurs made breedinds experiences. quite few were published ! Some of them made a lot of personal notes and/or photos ! Usually this experences are transmitted directly (personally) from one to another.
the main problem to publish (and share) is twice. The volume to publish (you can't imagine how far it comes quickly) that discourages to start the project. And the means (in general : to write, to treat the datas, to pay the publication, etc.). Field entomologists are not always communication and publication lovers.
I know some great breeders (or field entomologist) and what they published is a so small in comparaison of their expérience. In some trips, I learned from them a lot of experience that i will never find in any book.
The most known names are just a part of the men that possess great experience.
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Post by africaone on Feb 28, 2015 19:53:29 GMT
Indeed look at the TOP 100 INSECT AUCTIONS and you will have an answer. The most prized coleoptera are Goliathus, Dynastes, Prioninae and Lucanidae. Then European and Japanese collectors are also big Carabidae collectors. prized and popular are not always linked
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Post by africaone on Feb 28, 2015 13:01:26 GMT
cerambycidae and lucanidae probably on the top (may be cerambycid for the number of species and lucanid for the most wanted). Scarabaeidae in third (with the all subfamilies : Cetoniinae, Scarabaeinae, dynastinae, etc...). To have an idea, see the calatog sellers and eBay (this an objective response of the most popular demand)
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Post by africaone on Feb 27, 2015 11:16:14 GMT
the problem came to the fact that the androconial patches (if it is ? or ?) took water and dissolved some chemical / water in the wings (for me no solution as the blue is a physical color and scale structure has been been destroyed)!
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Post by africaone on Feb 25, 2015 14:08:52 GMT
Wow ! Did you collect them by your self ? Paul ... no !
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Post by africaone on Feb 25, 2015 11:01:14 GMT
Argema besanti as well as A.kuhnei still remain "high-end" objects of desire for those who would want one for collection. It's funny that the only other 2 species of Argema known (Mittrei & Mimosae) have been bred out (produced) for years and are very cheap price wise at that. Besanti hails from Kenya and that seems to be a fairly safe and stable place compared to most other African nations. So as to why it remains such an enigma in the marketplace of collectors is any number of educated guesses. Perhaps the only descent ones are "wild-caught" examples which are only occasionally found; maybe no one is breeding them; maybe it's a difficult species to breed out to adult--- with high larval mortality; or maybe their numbers are artificially regulated by a select few so as to keep the prices high and the demand ALWAYS wanting. I suppose the list goes on.... Anyway, I've always had a soft spot for Saturniidae in general but, I'm not a specialist on the group. So someone perhaps on this forum with a more focused knowledge of them could tell us more. I believe that truely RARE Saturniidae make up a very small percentage of the family overall. Where they can be found they seem to breed prolifically despite all the predators that prey on them as larvae and adults. It seems only when one of the aforementioned resons comes into play that their scarcity makes them affordable to only a select few. Of coarse humans use of and reckless abandon for pesticides & herbicides will ALWAYS upset the "applecart" of mother natures balances ! one must realised that none species is uncommon, otherwise it has been disapeared for a long time. It may be rare in collection, in unsafe area, with ecological special request, etc.. but none is really rare in nature ! The value of an insect depend on some factors such as the avaibility, the beauty, the reputation ... Charaxes and Papilionidae are high priced because they have a story, they are beautiful , some species are mythic, they are collected by anybody in the world ( a large market including non specialist). besanti is probably in the top 3 of the worlwide saturniidae (and moths), being wanted by many more people than just Saturniidophiles. it is quite uncommon in collection (I had only 4 in collection and may be no more than 30 more are known in collection)
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Post by africaone on Feb 24, 2015 23:03:26 GMT
The seller asking 3600euro. Does anyone no how rare is that species in Africa ? To be honest I have never seen this one but I think the price is high isn't ? not so many in comparaison with other rarities. it the price of a lydiae pair that is very much more common
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