The text below is grayed out because it is not intended to be read. It is a necessarily imperfect OCR of the original and is only used by a search engine.
1955
The Lepidopterists' News
11
A NEW HOST PLANT RECORD FOR STRYMON LIPAROPS by John P. Knudsen
The early stages of Strymon liparops Bdv. & Lee. have been described in considerable detail, the account by Scudder (1889) being excellent in most respects. A wide variety of host plants are listed, including Cratcegus, Malus, Prunus, Vaccinimn, and, perhaps, Ilex and Quercus. These latter two are Abbot's records for S. liparops liparops, dating back to 1797. Others are listed, but these are sufficient to show that the species has a wide range of tastes when it comes to host plants.
However, a new and interesting addition to the list was discovered when on May 24, 1953, near Atlanta, Georgia, two larvae were noted in a bouquet of wild Azalea {Azalea calandulacea Michx.). Both larvae were in their final instar, and they fed for only four or five days before beginning the pupation process. It was in this feeding that the novel habits of the larva became apparent. Although the caterpillar is an intense shade of green it fed only upon the flame-colored flowers and buds of the Azalea. In these circumstances it is a conspicuous object contrasting brilliantly with the bright red or orange color of the flowers. It would seem that such behavior is courting disaster, but it appears to feed only on the flowers and never on the leaves. Feeding is done in stages. The larvae eat rapidly for an hour or less and then retire to the under surface of a leaf where, well camouflaged, they presumably digest their meal before returning to the flower head to feed again.
Perhaps such behavior on the part of a Strymon liparops larva may have bearing on the question of whether or not Kalmia serves as a host plant for Incisalia augustinus Westwood. While I certainly have not seen /. augus-tinus feeding on Laurel it seems clearly possible that it might have a similar feeding habit, eating only the flowers, but resting among the leaves. ZlEGLER (1953) tentatively follows the suggestion of COOK in laying aside Kalmia as a host plant for /. augustinus. In view of what has just been learned about the feeding habits of S. liparops I suggest that Kalmia be retained on the list at least until further rearing studies can be made.
In his account of the early stages of S. liparops, Scudder (1889) notes that very little silk is spun. In this connection, we noted that in both of the instances observed here pupation took place on the foodplant in a loose "cocoon" formed by drawing together several leaves with a few well placed strands of silk. The pupation process appears to be a slow one in this species, heralded first by a change from the general green color to a brownish rose. It extends over a period of several days during which no feeding is done, the cocoon is constructed, and the final molt takes place. The pupae are hairy and reddish brown with deeper brown blotches. In both observed cases, the duration of the pupal period was slightly more than two weeks? and emergence took place shortly after noon.
12
KNUDSEN: Slrymon liparops
Vol.9: no.)
References
Scudder, S. H., 1889- The butterflies of the eastern United States and Canada with special reference to Neiv England, Vol. 2: p. 882. Cambridge, Mass.
Ziegler, J. B., 1953. Notes on the life history of Incisalia augustinus and a new host plant record. Lepid, News 7: 33-35.
120 South Boundary St., Chapel Hill, N. C, U.S.A.
A NOTE ON LEPIDOPTERA ON POSTAGE STAMPS
I was interested in the article "Philatelic Lepidoptera" in the News, since I am also a stamp collector/lepidopterist. To add to the stamps listed in this article as picturing Lepidoptera, French Equatorial Africa issued two series of Postage Due stamps, all values of which had the numeral of value superimposed on a butterfly. The 1937 set consisted of 11 values (5 centimes to 3 francs), and the 1947 set had 10 values (10 centimes to 20 francs).
The validity of the items listed in the article as being issued by the Republic of Maluku Selatan in the Moluccas as postage stamps has been questioned in the philatelic press, but still the items are colorful representations of six beautiful insects.
George R. Wren, 437 30th St. N.W., Canton 9, Ohio, U.S.A.
MORE PHILATELIC LEPIDOPTERA
Following the appearance of my article on philatelic Lepidoptera in the Lepidopterists' Neivs (Vol. 8: 13-16; 1954), Dr. TEISO Esaki of the Entomological Laboratory of Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, kindly called my attention to several Lepidoptera on stamps which should be added to the list. Further additions by other readers would be very welcome. Here are Dr. Esaki's additions with his comments:
"Hawaii, 1890-1891, #52, 2 c. The hair ornament of the queen is a butterfly. [This therefore becomes the earliest stamp, to my knowledge, which depicts Lepidoptera, antedating by more than ten years the Dutch colony stamps mentioned in the original article.—M.E.S.]
"Japan, 1916, #154, 10 s. At the sides of the frame surrounding the Japanese denomination at the bottom are small stylized butterflies.
"Hungary, 1924, B 77, 300 k. A child looking at a flying butterfly. [I would consider this a dove, judging from illustrations, especially since the stamp is listed as depicting emblems of peace; however, I have not seen the original. — M.E.S.]
"Manchukuo, 1940, #136, 2 f. A Papilio-like butterfly is figured at the bottom.
"Korea recently [June, 1954 — M.E.S.| issued a stamp of 10 w., on which a noctuid moth and the Korean flag are depicted. This moth may be identified as Metopta recti-fasciata Menetries, which has a curious round marking on the fore wings which is similar to the circular device of the Korean flag. It is said in Korea that the 'butterfly' appears on the occasion of national auspicious events. Actually, it is common throughout China, Korea, and Japan."
Marion E. SMITH; Dept. of Entomology, Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass., U.S.A.