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Post by nomad on May 12, 2020 12:43:28 GMT
As he seems to be able to produce them quite readily I'm sure the prices will plummet once the initial demand has been met. I expect he has a lot more ready for sale and will put them on the market slowly, so the prices do not take a nose dive. He is no doubt very good at his chemicals. True the early cold shock experiments had science attached to them, but there is nothing really scientific in what Macro is doing, its just butterfly art made by chemicals. If Damien Hirst can make millions out of pretty butterfly pictures, then good luck to Macro and those that buy his things. They are just not for me, and no doubt in many years to come some will acquire bogus labels, but then from what I have seen, this will be nothing unusual and I have seen quite a few fake labels on butterfly specimens, attached to up their value.
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Post by nomad on May 12, 2020 6:28:54 GMT
There was a time when Papilio Machaon induced aberrations were fetching small prices, even extreme ones. Why this has changed I am not sure? They are eye catching but I guess for the seller its a good factory line money making business. I expect once you have made several, its not that hard to do, if you know your chemicals and how to use them. Its the new stamp collecting fad, chemical aberrations with no data for those with big pockets who like unusual things. I guess you can tell I am not a fan. Give me a good wild collection aberration, or bred ab any day with good data. Wild extreme abs are seen perhaps by few in a lifetime, but the event will always be remembered. I guess that is why these ebay chemical butterflies have an appeal in this instance, because people cannot just go out and expect to collect one, or expect one to turn up in their breeding cages, but on ebay its easy with ££ $$....
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Post by nomad on Apr 20, 2020 10:42:13 GMT
Exact chemicals used won't be said by Marco as it is his own goldmine. Oxyanions such as sodium tungstate, sodium molybdate, and molybdic acid are often used. Sodium tungstate has the same (or even better) effect as cold shock treatment so this is the most "nature-correct" substance to use. You can find a lot of scientific papers about this method. I must admit that Marco his aberrations are amongst the most extreme I have ever seen so I think he uses also other chemicals and in different concentrations. Does he do Papilio Machaon. If so is there a link to his specimens?
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Post by nomad on Apr 18, 2020 11:48:10 GMT
I believe all these early P. machaon ab niger, which includes the BMNH from 'Magdeburg, Russia and from Poznan, Poland in ZSSM (Munich) were original genetic examples. Yes, the undersides of P. machaon ab niger are also black as far as I have seen in the BMNH, and A.S. Harmer in Variation in British Butterflies (2000) shows a male of the melanic P. machaon ab obscura (Plate 4) which has a black underside with no yellow markings at all. So it would be easy to tell an original genetic melanic specimen if anybody was lucky enough to find one, from a chemical/cold shock P. machaon.
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Post by nomad on Apr 18, 2020 8:21:59 GMT
Pips. You are very lucky to have caught a wild Issoria lathonia aberration. It was this such red letter days that lived long in the memory of the heyday of British butterfly collectors, as such an event might happen one or twice in a lifetime, or to very lucky collectors several times. When people visited their homes, the collector would proudly show off his most prized aberrations and perhaps recount the capture to his admiring friend. British butterfly aberrations really started the cheque book collectors. Its like anything else, the more money you have the more you can buy, thus some very impressive aberration collections were built up by the wealthy and rich, and when their collections came for sale, all those with money to spare competed with each other at auctions to own these aberrations. Melanic Fritillary aberrations in the wild are due to extremes of temperature in the pupa stage, and this is borne out because cold shock and chemical injection replicates these aberrations to a high degree. That's the problem with Papilio machaon cold shock and chemical injection, they cannot produce replicas of the old black historical P. machaon, because breeding proved these were genetic. The cold shock and chemical injection Papilio machaon while they are often extreme, always have plenty of yellow coming through. Such was the failure to produce similar P. machaon aberration that certain people resorted to Ink, dyeing specimens black, but the obvious bit is the inky black abdomen with matted hairs, the melanic originals at least had some of the original colour on the abdomen.
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Post by nomad on Apr 15, 2020 16:33:08 GMT
But if the seller just wants to make big money selling to uninformed buyers that is his good right. mmm sounds like taking advantage I would say. Still some have plenty of money to spend, so its their right to spend their money as they wish. Not too sure what a PHD got to do with it, if its a money making exercise. Plenty have made them without those credentials.
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Post by nomad on Apr 15, 2020 13:35:47 GMT
The same eBay seller (https://www.ebay.com/usr/universal_butterflies), who is offering the Colias, last week had a melanic P. machaon on auction which was at over $1,700 a few days before it ended. I don't know what the final sale price was. Now he has another less melanic P. machaon aberration for sale. His eBay home page states: 'Universal Butterflies is a small butterfly farm located in Italy. We are mainly specialised in butterfly aberrations.' The second sentence should read "We are mainly specialised in making chemically induced butterfly aberrations to sell at ridiculous prices to gullible collectors." There is a big difference in rarity between natural aberrations and artificial ones, and some people are cashing in on their knowledge while they can. Adam. Totally agreed with Adam. Far too many chemical aberrations are made, and the sellers have flooded the market, that is why the prices for these abs remain low. Cannot see why anybody in their right mind would pay such a large price for a chemical melanic swallowtail on ebay, many, many were made by one European dealer. Certainly do not agree that they are worth every Euro, £ or $. The chemical melanic swallowtails don't hold a candle to the historic ab. obscura and ab. niger that were bred by selective skilled breeders, or were a red letter day one off . Not too sure why you would want chemical abs in your collection, although plenty do, even serious wild aberration collectors have. I guess they are just eye- catching space fillers.
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Post by nomad on Apr 15, 2020 7:07:58 GMT
Another review by John Tennent is available from the Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 132 (2020) of Mark Payne's 'The ecology, biogeography and speciation of the butterflies of Cabo Verde', “World natural History Publications”, “The Lake District”, 2019, hardback, 456pp, no ISBN number. Cost £85.
This review was the first to be written, but the second to be published of this book.
If you want to read it, send me an email, or PM with your email unless you have already sent that, and I will let you have this informative review.
Peter.
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Post by nomad on Mar 23, 2020 9:30:54 GMT
Especially as they were personal attacks on people who had by that time sadly passed away, and he knew could not defend themselves. Sometimes a person's true character comes out in writing.
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Post by nomad on Mar 22, 2020 10:57:57 GMT
We have corresponded before years ago in regard to a certain flavidior specimen Ah I see, the name you chose anna confuses me. Have you decided whether to get the third edition or not?
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Post by nomad on Mar 18, 2020 20:56:12 GMT
Not sure of the current situation there regarding commercial collecting, and the changes there, but as you say Bates enjoyed his collecting at Ega (Tefe). Not too long ago I was looking at some Bates material from Ega in the little known Foreign collection of J.C. Dale at Oxford. Dale purchased his Bates and Wallace specimens from their agent Samuel Stevens in London. Dale's Foreign collection is a little-studied treasure trove. Dale's collection contains some of Wallace's Brazilian butterflies, which are especially valuable, as nearly all his specimens burnt when his ship caught fire. Here is a female Asterope batesii specimen that Bates caught while at Ega. Dale coll, OUMNH.
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Post by nomad on Mar 15, 2020 14:15:22 GMT
Well, I just discovered I am running out of toilet paper at home and there is no toilet paper in Tesco left....What now? Hahahah I think its off to the woods for you wet moss and large dock leaves
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Post by nomad on Mar 9, 2020 16:39:16 GMT
Some of the best butterfly sites in England are on the Military training areas and ranges of Salisbury Plain. No ploughing and spraying there.
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Post by nomad on Feb 25, 2020 14:19:37 GMT
The thing is, these reviews will not be widely read by many interested in butterflies, and those that are interested in the butterflies of these places and others that are covered by Payne will think Oh good someone has published a book on these islands, places, and as many buy books such as these from Pemberley in the UK (and widely in the world) a reputable dealer, they will read the booksellers glowing reviews and think jolly good, and buy them.
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Post by nomad on Feb 21, 2020 19:17:36 GMT
A few of us have been discussing this man and his "works" for a while now. The reviews say it all. Come on man! Share some of those reviews! john Message me your email, and I will send them. John Tennent said share them widely.
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