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1958
The Lepidopterists' News
127
ESPECIALLY FOR FIELD COLLECTORS
(Under the supervision of Fred T. Thorne, 1360 Merritt Dr., El Cajon, Calif., U.S.A.)
BUTTERFLY COLLECTING IN THE MEXICAN TROPICS by John Adams Comstock
It is the boyhood ambition of nearly every lepidopterist to collect butterflies in the American tropics. As with so many youthful amateurs, visions of gorgeous morphos, colorful papilios and heliconids frequently drifted across my dream horizons.
Many long years had to roll by, however, before this dream came true, and it became possible for me to share, in retrospect, these experiences with others of our entomological fraternity.
The tropics of Mexico particularly appealed to me because of their relative proximity and accessibility.
My first exploratory trips were made in winter, which is the dry season, and also the tourist season in Mexico. They included a run along the paved highways of the high plateau area of central Mexico, from the Texas border to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and also a two months sojourn on the west coast near Manzanillo.
It did not take long to determine that, for entomological collecting, the winter was the wrong time of year, and the places most frequented by tourists were the least interesting for naturalists.
Finally my wife and I made arrangements to spend the summer of 1957 in the coastal town of Puerto Vallarta, state of Jalisco.
Tip's charming town of about 7000 inhabitants is situated on Banderas Bay, approximately 70 miles south of San Bias, and about 130 miles due west of Guadalajara. It is accessible only by air, and small coastal freighters.
The mountains in the area come down precipitately to the sea with very little coastal plain between them. Consequently there are no extensive lagoons or marsh lands in the vicinity. This probably accounts for the relative scarcity of mosquitoes and biting flies.
The mountains are heavily overgrown with jungle, and are penetrated bv a network of trails. Flowering plants are in great abundance, and butterflies fairly swarm during the sunny mornings. The afternoons are usually broken by rains, some of which are torrential.
The very high humidity and tropic heat keeps one in a perpetual bath of perspiration, which, to some northerners, might be a deterrent.
In the early morning hours, before hitting the jungle trails, it was a thrilling sight to note the aerial flow of butterflies over the red-tiled rooftops of the town, all sailing in a northerly direction. This had the appearance of a migration, but it kept up continuously for weeks, with cessation before each noon.
128
ESPECIALLY FOR COLLECTORS
Vol.12: nos.3-4
As the morning heat increased, but before the sun had evaporated the puddles of rain water in the streets, swarms of Papilios began gathering on the damp spots. Sometimes as many as an estimated hundred would be packed close together, all facing in the same direction, and all so intent on drinking that it was possible with slow movement to pick up an occasional specimen with the fingers.
These swallowtails were of three species. The most numerous was Papilio philolaus Bvd., the next was P. epidaus tepicus R. & J., and the least frequent was P. polydamas Linne.
As the midday heat came to a climax, these aggregations disappeared, as though yielding to the Mexican custom of siesta. Actually the attention of the myriads of butterflies was at that hour transferred to the kaleidoscopic assemblage of flowers on the trees and bushes along the trails and roadways of the nearby jungle.
Had my purpose been to merely collect butterflies it would have been possible to take many thousands. My interest, however, centered in the behavior, ecology, and biology of the Lepidoptera, and only a few individuals of each species were therefore netted.
Even with this selective and restricted collecting, more than 600 butterflies, representing 92 different species were taken. This does not count the moths, as yet untabulated.
Hunting proved most profitable in small clearings within the jungle, along the more open jungle trails and country roadways, and along the stream banks. Larvae were particularly abundant in July and early August. They were of such variety that I had to limit my collecting periods to approximately every third day, and devote all spare time to feeding, making drawings and drafting notes. The only element lacking was time.
Several varieties of larvae had to be passed up because there was not room in the laboratory, or sufficient time for their adequate care. Several lots had to be abandoned before my leaving.
A number of butterflies were caged, in the hope of obtaining eggs. Reasonable success was attained, but in several instances the first instar larvae would not accept any of the various plants offered them. Their life history accounts were therefore fragmentary, as were also those in which only pupae were found.
The sum total of species in which I obtained partial or complete life histories was 60. Colored drawings were made of eggs, larvae and pupae, wherever possible. This resulted in 75 drawings being completed in the field.
Moth collecting was not successful, owing mainly to the poor quality of light available. Electric lighting was uneven and uncertain, and service was shut off throughout the town before midnight. There were no lights extending outside the town proper.
Even if Coleman lamps had been available, the difficulty of carrying them over rough terrain, and the ever present 'tagging along' curious children would have made collecting extremely difficult. Most of the moths secured were therefore the result of rearing.
1958
The Lepidopterists' News
129
Some persons might be hesitant about going into the jungles unattended, particularly without a good knowledge of Spanish. There are regions in rural Mexico where trouble might be expected. Not, however, in Puerto Vallarta. All Americans living there agree that the natives are honest and friendly. We found such to be universally true. On the jungle trails I frequently met parties of Indians or mestizos, most of them carrying machetes, and looking like bandidos, but always we were met with smiles, courteous curiosity, and friendly greetings. A few Spanish phrases and much use of sign language met every situation.
Humans are much less to be feared in rural Mexico than are the germs, viruses, vectors, fungi, and other transmitters and causes of tropical diseases. Modern sanitary practices are not much in evidence there. Water is everywhere suspect, — also dairy products and green vegetables.
It is not a country for the rank amateur, but with proper training and precautions, and a carefully chosen medical kit it is possible to carry on safely.
P. O. Box 158, Del Mar, Calif., U. S. A.
LOCALITY LABEL PRINTER
The Nature Company, which has been known for many years as a printer of excellent locality-date-collector labels in strips, has a new address: 123 West Ninth Street, Chanute, Kansas, U. S. A. The new proprietor is L. Don Richardson. Prices are as follows:
3 lines 4 lines 5 lines 6 lines
First 500..........................................$0.60 $0.65 $0.70 $0.75
First 1000.........................................85 .95 1.05 1.15
Each extra 1000 .........________......60 .65 .70 .75
There is an additional charge of 10 cents per thousand for colored paper, and the minimum order accepted is $1.00.
No serious collector of insects who expects his specimens to have the slightest scientific value should be without an ample supply of printed labels (in which the date can be inserted) for each of his favorite localities. He should make a special point of including the precise locality name; the county or equivalent larger area; the state, province, or country; and the collector's name preceded by the abbreviation "leg.", which distinguishes the actual collector. There is normally no point in using "Collection
of ----------" or equivalent designation unless an entire collection is being deposited in a
permanent institution. Even if this is done, the Collection label should be separate from the locality-date-collector label. Much confusion for later workers can result if '"Coll.
----------" is used, since this could mean "Collected by ----------" or "In the collection of
----------". If the international Latin "leg." is disliked, an alternative would be "Collected
by ----------".
C. L. Remington