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.
Volume 25, Number 3 211
Kuroko, H. 1961. The genus Antispila from Japan, with descriptions of seven new
species (Lepidoptera, Heliozelidae). EsakiaS: 11-24. McDunnough, J. H. 1946. Gracillariid studies (Gracillariidae, Lepidoptera).
Can. Ent. 78: 91-95. Vari, L. 1961. South African Lepidoptera. Vol. 1. Lithocolletidae. Transvaal
Museum. Mem. 12.
OBITUARY
ANTONIE JOHANNES THEODORUS JANSE 1877-1970
On June 12th, 1970, at the age of ninety-three, Dr. A. J. T. Janse, a great Lepidop-terist and a man of remarkable learning and ability, passed away. For almost seventy years he collected, reared, studied, and described Lepidoptera, a privilege given to very few. All by himself, he built up a unique collection of the Heterocera of southern Africa.
212
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
Dr. Janse was born in The Hague, the Netherlands, where he received his education. He emigrated to South Africa in 1899, and became a teacher in Waterval (Nuwe Smitsdorp). He started his entomological work under the most primitive conditions, but his boundless enthusiasm enabled him to overcome these difficulties and his painstaking ceaseless collecting laid the foundation for all his far-reaching scientific work of later years. In the early days he did his collecting on foot, later by donkey cart. His was pioneer work, for at that time there was no extensive collection of Lepidoptera in South Africa.
In 1905 he accepted the post of lecturer at the Transvaal Normal College, and this marked the turning-point in his early career, since it enabled him to take up entomology in earnest and to become a scientist. The facilities available to him in Pretoria made it possible for him to undertake systematic research.
In 1921-1922 he visited Europe and worked at the museums in London, Leiden and Berlin, comparing and identifying many hundreds of specimens from his collection. In recognition of his work he was presented in London with the Joicey collection of Pyralidae, which he brought back to Pretoria.
After his return, Janse was appointed honorary professor of Systematic Entomology at the Transvaal University College. He held this post until his retirement in 1937. In 1925 the University of South Africa awarded him the honoris causa degree of Doctor of Science.
The most rewarding acknowledgment of Janse's entomological achievements came in 1945, when the South African Government bought his collection, library, and equipment, and placed them in the care of the Transvaal Museum, he himself being appointed Honorary Curator of Heterocera. However, because the museum had no space to house Janse's collection, it was decided to leave it at his house, where his laboratory was also located, and to transfer the museum's collection of Heterocera there instead, thus uniting the two collections. The Government's action was of vital importance for the future of Janse's life work, which was now secure; the museum provided the necessary funds to buy urgently needed drawers and other equipment. An assistant was appointed to continue his work eventually. In 1953 space became available for the collection at the museum, but Janse continued to work in his laboratory, using material on loan from the main collection.
During the greater part of his life Janse had to do all his entomological work during holidays and in his spare time. Nevertheless, he found time to publish a substantial series of papers, and in 1932 began on his outstanding series "The Moths of South Africa." But it was not until his retirement a few years later that he was able to give his full attention to the publication of this valuable series. Up to the time of his death he had published over forty papers and eight large volumes of the Moths series. He described more than five hundred new species, for which he also prepared detailed drawings of external structures and genitalia of both sexes. He always maintained that such drawings should be made a compulsory part of any description of new taxa.
Before his death, Janse had completed the manuscript for the next volume of "The Moths of South Africa" and had almost finished another volume on the types of South African Microlepidoptera described by the late E. Meyrick.
During his association with the Transvaal Museum, Janse made three extensive collecting trips by motor car and trailer; although he was already over seventy-five, he travelled with his wife as his only assistant. He continued his research with unflagging zeal through the years, until at last a serious illness put an end to his activities about a year before his death.
Janse's frequent letters were always striking and written in a firm hand; a year ago he wrote "so long my hand and eyes are still good, can the work go on." These letters breathed such vitality, enthusiasm, and trust in his work that they conveyed something fresh, simple, and deeply encouraging, especially when one remembered the writer's age.
Only a few are blessed with such a wealth of enthusiasm ifor their work. Few can
Volume 25, Number 3
213
devote themselves to it so wholeheartedly. Add to this unusual stamina and insight, and one has the stuff of which Janse's great generation of Lepidopterists was made. His must have been an enviable, full, and happy life.
L. Vari, Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, South Africa and A. Diakonoff, Leiden Museum, The Netherlands.
PRELIMINARY NOTES ON THE BUTTERFLIES OF ROOSEVELT COUNTY,
NEW MEXICO
Roosevelt County is situated on the central eastern border of New Mexico, in the southern portions of the Great Plains. Its primary industry is agriculture, but despite this, it has one of the most interesting butterfly faunas of the state.
I have been able to make only four trips to this area, two in 1965 and two in 1966. As a result of these four trips, I have recorded 38 species, plus two more seen. One other is recorded from the county; Megathymus coloradensis elidaensis Stallings, Turner, and Stallings, the type locality of which is located southwest of Elida. Of the thirty-eight species of which I have specimens, four have not been taken by me from anywhere else in the state. Of the remaining thirty-four, twelve are represented by four records or less in the state. One of the species seen but not taken was a battered specimen of Papilio cresphontes Cramer, a species which has also never been recorded elsewhere in the state to my knowledge.
The main locality in which I have collected is located six miles west of Portales, along New Mexico Highway 88. This is an extremely unattractive place for the Lepi-dopterist, being situated at the junction of four farm fields, two to the north of the highway and two to the south. On the south side of the road, there is a short row of elm trees. The tallest of these is about 25 feet high. It was on one of these elms that a larva of Polygonia interrogationis (Fabricius) was collected. The larva unfortunately died later, but there is little doubt as to its identity. One adult was also seen, but escaped capture. The only other record the author has of this species in New Mexico is at his home in Albuquerque.
The majority of the butterflies were collected at roadside flowers, which are especially numerous in the fall. The area between the edge of the fields and the road is quite wide (at least 75 feet), so there is a large patch of them.
Following is a list of the thirty-eight species collected at this locality on September 12, 1965; September 18-19, 1965; June 2-3, 1966, and June 11, 1966. Known state records are marked with an (*) and unusual records are marked with an (!).
Hesperiidae
*1. Lerodea eufala (Edwards); Sept. 19, (2 males). !2. Amblyscirtes eos (Edwards); June 3, (1 male).
3. Atalopedes campestris (Boisduval); Sept. 19, (1 male, 1 female); June 2, (1 female).
4. Hesperia uncas uncas (Edwards); Sept. 19, (1 female); June 2, (11); June 3, (17); June 11, (1).
!5. Hylephila phyleus (Drury); June 2, (1).
6. Pholisora catullus (Fabricius); Sept. 12, (1); Sept. 19, (1); June 3, (2); June
11, (11).
7. Pyrgus communis (Grote); Sept. 12, (1); Sept. 18, (1); June 2, (1); June 3, (4); June 11, (1).