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146

Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society

this aspect of the matter I will simply refer the reader to the 1970 article by Roderick R. Irwin the (Jour. Lepid. Soc. 24: 143-151).

While collecting these two species in South Carolina (1970), I found a constant pattern in the flight habits of the two species. It became evident why there has been so much confusion between them. Confusion exists in regard to the females; the males of the two species are easily distinguished. Many of the earlier collectors, especially in Louisiana where the type and allotypes of creola came from, must have encountered the same situation which I did. The habitat of creola is often an inaccessible area of swampy, bushy, cain-filled undergrowth. Naturally one would tend to collect in the more open areas in this type of terrain. In the open areas where collecting is more easily done you will find a preponderance of male creola and female portlandia; both portlandia males and creola females are rare.

The following records were taken from 9 April to 18 Oct. 1970. Of 40 female portlandia examined, 29 were collected in more open areas, such as along paths; 11 were taken in denser areas, e.g. 20 feet or more away from clearings. Only two male portlandia were taken in open spaces whereas ten were caught in the denser areas.

Of 24 male creola caught, 15 were found in the open areas, nine in dense areas. Of seven female creola found, five were in dense areas, only 2 in more open terrain.

The majority of specimens were released. Due to the difficulty in moving around in the denser areas many specimens seen there escaped capture. The tendency of both species to occur in different areas was not affected with regard to the time of year but specimens were more difficult to capture in the fall.

Ronald R. Gatrelle, 35 Reddin Rd., Apt. No. 2, Charleston, South Carolina.

REMARKS ON "DISTRIBUTIONAL NOTES ON THE GENUS MESTRA (NYMPHALIDAE) IN NORTH AMERICA"

I wonder if Mr. Masters is not attaching undue importance to the occurrence of Tragia in his paper entitled as above (1970, Journal Lepidopterists' Society, 24: 203).

Five species of East African Eurytelinae have their food-plants recorded, viz. Byhlia acheloia Wllgrn. and B. ilithyia Drury feeding on Tragia brevipes and Dale-champia hildebrandti, Eurytela hiarbas Drury and E. dry ope Cr. feeding on Dale-champia hildebrandti and Ricinus communis and Neptidopsis julgurata Bsd. recorded from Dalechampia hildebrandti only. The Indian Ergolis ariadne Johan. feeds on two species of Tragia, whilst E. merione Cr. feeds on Castor (Ricinus communis).

I cannot help feeling that Mestra amymome may also have one or more alternative foodplants.

D. G. Sevastopulo, P. O. Box 5026, Mombasa, Kenya.

DRAGONFLY ATTACKS LIMENITIS DEFENDING ITS TERRITORY

On June 23, 1970, while collecting Limenitis archippus floridensis Strecker near Folkston, Georgia, I observed a rather unusual sequence of events involving a male Limenitis and a large dragonfly.

The Limenitis flew over a small shaded waterhole along Route 252. As I pursued it, I observed the dragonfly dive at the Limenitis who evaded it and landed on a cypress branch. After resting, the butterfly soared slowly over the open water. The dragonfly swooped down and grasped the butterfly, then carried it to the water where it was released.

The stunned butterfly fluttered weakly to a nearby branch, rested there a considerable period of time flexing its wings frequently. The dragonfly soared past it several times feigning attack each time the butterfly folded its wings. A final attack by the dragonfly knocked the butterfly to the ground; it remained a few seconds

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flexing its wings, then retreated into the densely wooded swamp with the dragonfly in pursuit.

Dr. Clifford B. Knight states in Basic Concepts of Ecology, p. 157: "Dragonflies will establish a linear territory along a stream or in the vicinity of a body of water that they patrol and defend against invasion by other members of their species." Territoriality is normally intraspecific—could this unusual behavior suggest another predator for the tasty Limenitis or the extension of territoriality to an interspecific activity by the dragonfly?

During the past ten years, I have collected thousands of Limenitis. Always these individuals were found in association with water, and in the South with the ever present dragonfly which apparently shares its habitat. In most cases, this appears to be a harmonious relationship.

Thomas R. Manley, Bloomsburg State College, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.

THE OCCURRENCE OF VANESSA CARDU1 IN MISSISSIPPI AND TENNESSEE1

C. B. Williams (1970, Jour. Lepid. Soc. 24: 157) stated that V. cardui "is not often recorded in the southeast, though if this is due to a real rarity or to lack of interest is not certain." Speaking of its occurrence in 1952, he wrote, "There are however no records of abundance from Texas or from any of the Gulf States except Mississippi, where it was said to have been 'abundant'." He concluded with a plea for sharing one's observations. I give here observations made in Mississippi and Tennessee.

V. cardui was first recorded from Mississippi by Weed in 1894 as taken by him in the northeastern part of the state during the three previous years. He reported it rarer than virginiensis. Mather and Mather in 1958 reported having found it in all months except January, May, June, and December. Records are now available for May, June, and December, leaving only January without records. Localities were known in nine counties in all sections of the state. It is probably their record of 1952 occurrence as "abundant" that is referred to by Williams. All data now available to me for Mississippi occurrences are tabulated below in terms of number of recorded occurrences per month. For the years not listed there are no recorded occurrences.

1  Contribution No. 190, Bureau of Entomology, Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Gainesville.

2 Includes data furnished by Mr. Charles T. Bryson, Mississippi State University.