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150

Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society

ATTRACTION OF SPEYER1A APHRODITE TO ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT

Hocking Hills is a combinative park, forest and conservation area in southern Ohio, approximately 60 miles from Columbus. In 1968, 1969 and 1970, from the beginning of June through August, Lepidoptera were collected by means of long wave ultraviolet light. The four lights, of the "portable safari-type" were placed five feet apart and faced in opposite directions. Collecting began at dusk and continued until approximately 5:00 a.m. on misty evenings with the temperature not below 60 degrees F. nor above 85 degrees F. During 1968 and 1969 occasional Papilio polyxenes asterius (Stoll) and Papilio glaucus (Linnaeus) were attracted to the ultra-violet, while no specimens of Speyeria aphrodite (Fabricius) were so attracted; all three species were readily abundant during the day.

In contrast, each collecting night in 1970 yielded four to nine S. aphrodite (sexes about evenly distributed) at the light, although few S. aphrodite were observed during the day. Concurrently, no specimens of P. polyxenes asterius or P. glaucus were attracted to the ultra-violet light, but these were abundant during the day. The authors find these observations intriguing. Perhaps further investigation of the attraction of diural Lepidoptera to various wave lengths of light would be profitable.

M. S. Cannon and G. A. Palkuti, Dept. of Anatomy, Ohio State University, Columbus.

OENE1S JUTTA (SATYRIDAE) IN WISCONSIN

There have been no satisfactory published records for Oeneis jutta Hiibner in Wisconsin. F. R. Arnhold recorded it (Season's Summary for the Lepidopterists' Society for 1954) from Chippewa Falls, Chippewa County, which is further south than it would be expected to occur; and Masters and Sorensen (1968, Ent. News, 79: 82) referred to specimens from Hines County, Wisconsin; these were specimens in the Frank Chermock collection, presumably collected by L. Griewisch, but unsatisfactory as records because there is no Hines County in Wisconsin.

During 1969 and 1970, Fay Karpuleon of Eau Claire, Wisconsin and I collected examples of Oeneis jutta from a number of localities in Wisconsin including: Chippewa County, near Cornell, 5, 8, 14 and 27 June 1970; Oneida County, near Rhine-lander, 7 June 1970; Price County, near Catawba, 20 June 1969; and Rusk County, near Big Falls Flowage 14 and 27 June 1970, near Bruce 20 June 1969, and near Toni 14 June 1970. In addition, Keith S. Brown Jr. of Rio de Janeiro reports (in personal communication) having taken Oeneis jutta in Forest County, Wisconsin during 1962.

Oeneis jutta is a bog obligated species in Wisconsin and surrounding areas, and should have a widespread occurrence in the black spruce/sphagnum bogs of northern Wisconsin. The species has a biennial life cycle and the heaviest adult flights are expected in odd-numbered years as in Minnesota. The Wisconsin population of Oeneis jutta belongs to subspecies ascerta Masters & Sorensen.

John H. Masters, Lemon Street North, North Hudson, Wisconsin.

SOME SPHINGIDAE OF HONDURAS

Most of the thirty-four species of Sphingidae listed in this article were collected by the author from 1968-1970 in Honduras, Central America. All the Sphingidae were taken from the following five locations: (1) La Ceiba, (2) San Pedro Sula, (3) La Lima, (4) Tegucigalpa, and (5) Zamorano. The thirty-five species have been listed alphabetically and numbered according to the locations where they were collected. See Map of Honduras (Fig. 1) for approximate location of these sites. Mr. William E. Sieker of Madison, Wisconsin determined the Sphingidae listed.

Volume 25, Number 2

151

Guatemala

Caribbean Sea

El Salvador

Pacific Ocean *v

Fig. 1. Map of Honduras showing the locations where the Sphingidae were collected. Locations indicated: 1, La Ceiba; 2, San Pedro Sula; 3, La Lima; 4, Tegucigalpa; 5, Zamorano.

The five locations where the Sphingidae were collected are described below:

La Ceiba. La Ceiba is a seaport of the Caribbean Sea. All my specimens were taken the nights of July 28, 29, and 31, 1970. All specimens were caught in 'Colonia El Sauce', being attracted to the big street lights. They were most active between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. This 'colonia' or residential area at the edge of the city, is near a river and bordered by thick vegetation. The night of July 31 it drizzled around 9:00, and the Sphingidae and large noctuids were very active. After flying around the lights they would apparently tire and drop to the grass and pavement where they became "easy picking."

San Pedro Sula. San Pedro Sula faces the rich Sula Valley with its back to the mountain. The Sula Valley contains plantations of bananas, sugar cane, and citrus groves. Most of my Sphingidae were taken at the University which is located outside the city and surrounded by wooded areas. The sphingids were attracted to the lights and easily picked off the windows and walls in the evening.

La Lima. La Lima is located 14 kilometers southeast of San Pedro Sula in the Sula Valley. My specimens were taken at the tennis courts of the United Fruit Company on August 26 1970 between 8:00 and 9:30 p.m. The bright lights attracted quite a number of sphingids. A river flows past the tennis courts.

Tegucigalpa. Tegucigalpa is a highland plateau, 3200 feet in elevation, surrounded by pine forest. The Tegucigalpa specimens were attracted by street and building lights. Many were taken from a high wall along the Choluteca River. Those too high to reach with a net I knocked down by throwing the sheath of a hunting knife at them. When touched they would drop straight down into the awaiting open net.

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Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society

Zamorano. The few specimens I have from Zamorano were caught by students of the Pan American Agricultural School. This school is located in a valley 36 kilometers east of Tegucigalpa. It has several cloud forest peaks around it. The Sphingidae were attracted to the lights of the buildings.

The specimens collected are listed below:

Species                           Location No.              Species                           Location No.

Robert D. Lehman, Route 2, OrrviUe, Ohio.

BOOK REVIEWS

The Insect Realm, by Charles L. Hogue and Fred S. Truxal. 1970, 99 pp. -+- i-viii. Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. Price $2.00 U.S.

This attractive little book was nominally produced to serve as a guide to the Hall of Insects at the Los Angeles County Museum. Such an abundance of information is presented in concise form, however, that the book could well serve as a text or reference in high school biology classes. Succesive chapters are devoted to the position of insects in the animal kingdom, to morphology and phylogeny, to growth and development and to the insect environment. Other sections deal with beneficial and injurious insects and the making of an insect collection. The chapter on classification gives brief and illustrated diagnoses of the principal insect orders. The book should be owned by all neophyte entomologists.

D. F. Hard wick, Editor.

A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Europe, by L. G. Higgins and N. D. Riley, with color illustrations by Brian Hargreaves. Collins, London. 380 pp, 371 maps, 60 colored plates. September, 1970. 42s.

It has been 85 years since there was published in English as complete a study of the butterflies of western Europe and the British Isles as is presented in this splendid volume. I am sure that it will be the standard guide to those butterflies