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Volume 26, Number 2
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BOOK REVIEWS
Centurie de Lepidopteres de l'ile de Cuba, by Ph. Poey. 1832. I-XII + (1) - (4) + [1-50], 20 coloured plates. Reprinted "1970" [1971] by E. W. Classey Ltd., Hampton, Middlesex. Distributed exclusively in North America by Entomological Reprint Specialists, P.O. Box 77971, Dockweiler Station, Los Angeles, California 90007. Price $30.00 U.S.
This is another in the series of excellent reproductions of significant entomological books being produced by E. W. Classey Limited. The original has long been excessively rare. Though it contains descriptions and figures of only 20 species, the work having lapsed after the publication of the first two "decades" of the "Centurie," the selection is of such common, interesting or striking forms that the work has commanded widespread attention. Such well-known species as Eumaeus atala, Phoebis orbis, Cocytius duponchel and Eurema dina were described here for the first time and five genera were described as new, including the pyraustine genus Syllepis, of which I have had the pleasure of describing several new species in recent years, and Acrolophus, now recognized as the type-genus of the family Acrolophidae.
The reproduction appears excellent, though I do not have a copy of the original available for comparison. Care has been taken to work from an example with a good set of plates; one or two inaccuracies have been introduced in the course of partly correcting deterioration in the original pigments, but these are carefully noted in the introduction. The letterpress is clear and clean, though the texture of the paper is somewhat unpleasantly smooth and plastic-like. The introduction by C. F. Cowan is concise but scholarly and informative and has been combined harmoniously by the typesetters with the main text. The cloth binding is neat and attractive, but some will find the chrome yellow dust jacket, with white bands and red lettering and ornament, somewhat overpowering.
The price may seem rather high for a volume dealing with so few species, but considering the historical importance and previous scarcity of the work and the good quality of the reproduction, the market will undoubtedly justify the publisher's judgment.
Eugene Munroe, Entomology Research Institute, Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa.
A Monograph of the Ithomiidae ( Leptjdoptera ). Part IV. The Tribe Napeo-genini Fox, by Richard M. Fox and Herman G. Real. 1971. 368 p., 352 fig. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, Number 15.
The Napeogenini exhibit Miillerian mimicry and parallel evolution. The relationships of individual species are so complicated that identification by non-specialists has been almost impossible in the past. This reference book provides keys to all of the species and subspecies and should open up this tribe of butterflies to the non-specialist. To somebody who has not previously worked with the Ithomiidae, the keys may appear complicated at first, but considering the insects that they deal with, I think they should prove more than satisfactory to most users.
The monograph treats 7 genera, 104 species and over 300 subspecies. One genus, Aremfoxia, is described as new, along with 12 new species and 30 new subspecies. Each species and subspecies is described and keyed, and most are depicted in black and white plates. Annotation includes citations of original descriptions, synonymies and distributional data. Biological data (life histories, behavior, habitats, etc.) are at a minimum.
To fully appreciate this monograph, some knowledge of the extenuating circumstances surrounding its publication is required. With the manuscript about 75% com-
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pleted, Richard Fox died suddenly on 25 April 1968. The task of completing the monograph and preparing it for publication was left to his widow, Jean W. Fox, and Herman G. Real, a graduate student who had just arrived in Pittsburgh to study under Fox. Further complications resulted when Mrs. Fox died on 10' March 1970 with the final manuscript still being drafted. About this same time, Real returned to California and the task of final proof-reading fell largely upon George E. Wallace. In view of these circumstances, the overall quality of the treatment is remarkable. The problems presented by a combination of posthumous and joint authorship are fairly well overcome, by having those parts of the text that were not written by Fox clearly indicated as such. New taxa described are variously credited to Fox, to Real, or to Fox and Real.
The four parts in this series of monographs on the Ithomiidae have been published in four different publications. A very high level of excellence was obtained in part three (the Mechanitini) and by comparison this publication does not measure up too well. It is published by offset printing from typewritten plates and docs not have the slick appearance of letter press printing. Range maps and other illustrative materials were eliminated by economic pressures and the annotation is less extensive. These shortcomings do not, however, detract from the scientific usefulness of the publication.
Under the circumstances, this is a remarkable book and it will be a valuable reference to those dealing with Ithomiidae for many years. With four more tribes of Ithomiidae remaining to be revised, it is hoped that Mr. Real will take up the challenge, add his life's work to Dr. Fox's and complete this series.
John H. Masters, Lemon Street North, North Hudson, Wisconsin.
Lepidoptera Genetics, by Roy Robinson. 1971. Int. Ser. Monogr. in Pure and Appl. Biol., Zool. Div., Vol. 46: 687 p., 63 tables and 18 figs.; hardbound. Pergamon Press Ltd., Headington Hill Hall, Oxford, Eng. $26.50.
This work encompasses an exhaustive review of the literature dealing with the genetics of Lepidoptera published prior to 1966. The author admirably fulfills his purpose "to provide a systematic account on a worldwide basis of genetic and karyo-logical studies with Lepidoptera species." The book is intended as a reference for "any person who is interested in the variation or breeding of butterflies and moths" (i.e.: the amateur, as well as the professional and the specialist).
The book includes a rather rambling, wide-ranging (but informative) Introduction, in which such diverse subjects as 1) color and pigmentation, 2) seasonal and environmental influences, 3) breeding techniques, 4) genetic and sexual abberations, 5) sex determination mechanisms, 6) hybridization, and 7) procedures of taxonomic nomenclature are briefly discussed. Then follow review chapters on the basics of Lepidoptera Genetics, Elementary Biometry, Population Genetics and Polymorphism, Industrial Melanism, and Mimicry. Each chapter is well-written and lucid, and is more or less self-contained. All are thoroughly referenced.
The next two lengthy chapters present an encyclopedic listing of all species of Rhopalocera and Heterocera about which any genetic information has been published. Many species are superficially treated, merely having been included in the book to indicate the completeness of the literature survey. So little is actually known about the genetics of some of them that they could have been omitted without detracting from the book at all. The arrangement of species is alphabetical, and the genetics of each developmental stage are discussed in turn, whenever information is available.
As the author points out, many of the postulated genetic mechanisms are speculative, because of the sparseness of data upon which they are based. The most thoroughly treated genera include Colias, Erebia, Heliconius, Maniola, Papilio, and Pieris among the butterflies, and Abraxas, Anagasta, Arctia, Biston, Bombyx, Celerio,