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36
Vol.12: nos.1-2
ASTEROCAMPA IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
The Hackberry butterflies (Asterocampa celtis alicia Edw. and A. clyton flora Edw.) are to be found in numbers in suitable locations in central Florida. In the muck lands district to the south of Lake Jessup in Seminole County, Florida, the hack-berry {Celtis laevigata) grows in profusion. Most of the trees border the many farm roads which divide the fields of vegetables and citrus groves. Much of this area is still heavily wooded, and deer and bobcat are occasionally encountered. For lepidop-terists it is a region of considerable fascination and it has a very interesting flora.
The hackberry stands were visited from August 1956 to September 1957. The winter of 1956-57 had about normal temperatures and a deficiency of rainfall. During August of 1956 both the Asterocampas were on the wing and larvae were plentiful. A few adults appeared as late as October. In 1957 the first adults of A. celtis alicia were flying in some quantity the third week of March, but A. clyton flora was not seen before April. It might be pertinent to record a good flight of Libytheana bach-manii Kirt. on March 30. Although the hackberry is deciduous, some of the trees put out new foliage sporadically during the winter, and the presence of pupae and feeding larvae early in March indicates an early start of activity for the hibernating larvae. In this connection I might say that I have raised larvae of Papilio glaucus Linne feeding on Magnolia and collected in this area in November. By the middle of April many batches of eggs and small larvae of Asterocampa were noted and the butterflies became scarce by the last of the month. A heavy larval mortality was observed in May. The butterflies of the spring brood began to appear the last week of May. On June 15 heavy flights of both species were noted, and this was the only instance of A. clyton flora being the predominant species, the males much more abundantly seen than the females. The flight continued for about two weeks and resulted in an abundance of egg masses and larvae in July. Again it appeared that there was a heavy larval mortality, for adults were quite scarce from August to the end of September.
These observations were confined to a single year and cannot be deemed conclusive. There were three annual broods: two larger spring and summer ones and a smaller overwintering generation.
The fondness of the butterflies for settling on tree trunks and the feeding habits of the larvae appeared identical with those which occur in the northern races. No proven cases of parasitism were observed.
W. M. Davidson, 1504 Bodell St., Orlando, Fla., U. S. A.
RETIREMENT OF FRANCIS HEMMING
According to a recent announcement, Mr. Francis Hemming, for many years the Honorary Secretary to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, has been advised that he must curtail his activities for medical reasons. Mr. R. V. Melville, of the Palasontological Staff, Geological Survey, London, has been appointed Acting Secretary to the Commission for a period of one year, and will assume Mr. Hemming's duties in connection with the Fifteenth International Congress of Zoology and the Colloquium on Zoological Nomenclature preceding the Congress. Mr. Hemming will supervise the publication of the editions of the Official Lists and Official Indexes which are now in press, and will prepare certain Opinions based on decisions already made by the Commission, but wrill continue as Secretary to the Commission only until the end of the Congress.
P. F. Bellinger