This summer i was lucky and stumbled upon a cluster of larva that i brought home. I found them in L3-L4 stage. This is the first time i've found larva of this sp. The funny part was that after finding the first cluster at one location, within 1 week, i found several other clusters of larva in different locations(i let those be as i had enough from the first find). All was found on small bushes of Salix sp. I ended up with over 100 adults from the first cluster of larva that i found, allthough some did not hatch properly, or had wing defects. Non of the larva was parasitized.
I saw one antiopa flying on the Montagne de Lure (french Provence) last June. There, it's not a common species. Many thanks for sharing these interesting pictures !
Here antiopa in the Southern french Alps (July, 2009). None observed this year on the same location! :
This species holds a special place in the hearts of all Englishmen because of the history of the Camberwell Beauty, or Grand Surprise as it was once known, in this country. It's a rare migrant to this country, usually from Scandinavia, and isn't really a British species, few have seen it here, but from old records it did seem to be more frequent in the 19th century.
I first came across it in the south of France when I was 14. I chased one for about half a mile across several fields before I finally netted it, it was a fairly wretched post-hibernation specimen but it was the only one I saw on that trip and is still probably the most excitement I've felt on catching a butterfly. Many years later I found it commonly in the Esterel, also in the south of France, some years I only found ova or freshly-hatched larvae, other years the larvae were full-grown. I remember once spotting an egg batch on a twig just out of reach so I jumped up to grab the branch, landed on the side of a rock on the way back down and sprained my ankle, it was the end of any collecting on that trip for me but I still had hold of the branch and reared about 100 specimens from the ova. Another year at the same place, virtually every willow tree was covered in big larvae. We spotted a single tree covered in three-quarter-grown larvae in the middle of a lake, the tree had been stripped of all foliage so we paddled out about 30 yards on a lilo and rescued them. We didn't want to have to feed full-grown larvae for days so on our final day we stopped on the way to the airport and cut down a couple of branches covered with larvae. My two colleagues were sitting in the front and back of the car boxing them up while I drove. I could feel larvae crawling all over me until one of them pulled it off to put in a box. I'm sure there must have been a few left in the hire car after we dropped it off. I've also found many larval batches in such far-flung places as Sary Dzhaz in Kyrgyzstan and Windy Pass on the Dempster Highway in Yukon, Canada - of course I always brought a few home to rear.
I must have reared thousands of them over the years. Obviously, the adult is incredibly beautiful, but the larva is quite spectacular, they can grow to about 4 inches and the spines can be very sharp, and quite painful when handling large numbers of them; we used to call them snakes. I've also noticed on several occasions when I've had a plastic box with maybe a few hundred pupae, that one will start to wriggle which sets the whole lot off, they then wriggle in perfect time for up to half an hour, which makes a hell of a racket. Only once did I make the mistake of keeping such a box in my bedroom overnight!
I've also noticed that the species doesn't seem to be prone to parasitisation. I've collected a lot of larvae from the wild and don't remember getting a single parasite. However, the ova do get parasitised, I've collected egg batches from which I've had a handful of larvae hatch but about 100+ tiny parasitic wasps.
In France, I have met antiopa several times, especially near Fréjus (in the forest, not far from the Mediterranean coast). The place where I observed the most was on the Aubrac massif (Lozère department), around 1000 m above sea level. But it was in April and therefore faded specimens that had overwintered.
Once again wolf an excellent post. While I have never met with antiopa in the wild (nor am I likely to),I do have a couple of genuine British specimens from the long hot summer of 1976.About 30 years ago whilst on holiday in Dorset I had arranged to meet up with Robert Gooden at Worldwide butterflies as I had placed a rather large order with him including antiopa pupae. I remember Robert coming rushing down the stairs with a pained look on his face, he said I'm so glad you're here, I couldn't post them to you Dunc, they've started to colour up already. Sure enough the wing patterns could clearly be seen through the pupal cases and I thought as long as they last until I get back to the camp it's ok.I must have spent a good 4 hours at WWB and within an hour of arriving back at the camp the caravan I was staying in was full of freshly emerged antiopa, as I had not planned for this I had to place each one carefully in my net, pinch the thorax, put them in paper envelopes and then stuck them in the small camping freezer. I put them all on the setting boards as soon as I got home, a perfect series of antiopa, a very special butterfly to us British entomologists.
Post by exoticimports on Sept 27, 2020 12:36:06 GMT
In the frozen lands of NE USA, antopia is the hardy butterfly that awakens during the earliest thaws. They are usually pretty beat up, having overwintered as adults. It always nice to see the first one after five months without a butterfly.
Very nice report wolf, thank you ! N. antiopa caterpillars are very nice !
It is a rare species in France, especially in N. France. I have met this species only 3 times in France, once in Fontainebleau forest and twice in the French Alpes (including one time in a traffic jam before the Mont Blanc tunnel entrance, the longest tunnel in the world, while going from France to Italy, the antiopa landed on my car ).
I heard that it is much more common in North America than in W. Europe.
Some entomologists explain the scarcity of antiopa in France by the importance of parasitism of caterpillars by Diptera (Tachinidae, Compsilata concinnata) which would affect at least 80% of larvae.
Some entomologists explain the scarcity of antiopa in France by the importance of parasitism of caterpillars by Diptera (Tachinidae, Compsilata concinnata) which would affect at least 80% of larvae.
That certainly doesn't seem to be the case in the south. As I explained below, I've found it very commonly in the Esterel near St Raphael and collected thousands of large larvae over several years, and I've never had one parasitised, although I have found eggs parasitised by a tiny wasp.
Post by exoticimports on Sept 28, 2020 12:37:07 GMT
Well jmg answered my question before it was asked, then bobw unanswered it in a way!
Antiopa is quite common in early spring in the woods of NE USA and is widespread through much of USA. It seems content in even urban parks, so long as there is a small section of forest. So I’m surprised it’s not common throughout Europe.
Post by larrycurlymoe on Sept 28, 2020 15:32:19 GMT
N. antiopa is relatively rare in my area (Southeast TX, USA) but they seem to be larger than the ones I've seen from elsewhere in the USA. I have one specimen that's as large as a pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor).
I only have one specimen of N.antiopa from Poland and I can’t seem to remember to see this species so often. I don’t think it is common in southwest Poland.
In Ontario it is common species and can be found even in the city parks. I also have seen few N. antiopa in Calgary Alberta in the city woodlands but I never see one up in the mountains.
The best time to spot them is an early spring and early fall. In July there are fresh specimens flying although harder to find then.
Several authors explain the parasitism to which antiopa is a victim through the gregarious behavior of the caterpillars which, thus grouped together, form accessible targets for Tachinids or Ichneumons.
That said, among the adults encountered in France (rarely!), several were found around Puget-sur-Argens not far from the Esterel massif.
As already said, this year 2020, I saw only one specimen flying near the top of the Montagne de Lure, near willows (feeder plant for caterpillars: Salix alba).
Does anyone know the history of approximately when or how N. antiopa arrived here in North America ? Was it accidentally introduced with European settlers in the late 1700s or early 1800s ? I have never read anything regarding it's introduction to North America. Could it have arrived in Canada first and then gradually migrated southward into the US?