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78
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
Collections were made with the help of Dr. E. W. Jameson, Jr. and Mr. Allen Allison, both of the Department of Zoology, University of California, Davis, and Mrs. Adrienne R. Shapiro.
Arthur M. Shapiro, Department of Zoology, University of California, Davis, California 95616.
PH1LOTES RITA (LYCAENIDAE) IN A SANDSTORM
Between 0730 and 0810 MST, on an overcast day, 4 September 1970 (at 10 road mi. NE of Goblin Valley turnoff from Hwy. 24, on Hwy. 24, Green River Desert, Emery Co., Utah), Scott Ellis and I encountered Philotes rita Barnes & McDunnough spp. during a strong windstorm. We collected 19 rita clinging to stiff Ephedra plants in ca. 30-40 mph winds. The winds at first were calmer with no blowing sand but soon a gusty sandstorm from the SW hit with fine sand particles. Other plants in the area, including Eriogonum leptocladon Torr. & Gray var. leptocladon, ritas foodplant here, were not nearly as upright in the wind as the Ephedra. Most of the rita perched in a head-down position (3-4 head-up) on the uppermost parts of the Ephedra, with the primaries tucked inside the secondaries, directed away from the wind's angle, and buffeted by the wind. They clung on by their legs wrapped partway around a stem. When approached or disturbed, some flopped down into the plant or onto the ground with the wind (they were still alert). These rita have been genitalically determined and represent an unnamed subspecies to be described elsewhere.
Oakley Shields, Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, California 95616.
NOTES AND NEWS
Recent Letters Dear Dr. Sargent:
In the last issue of the "Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society" (Vol. 27, No. 3, 10 August 1973, p. 210-219), there is an interesting study about the Biology of Prepona omphale octavia Fruhstorfer, by Alberto Muyshondt, of San Salvador, C.A., presented "as this is the first time the life cycle of P. omphale octavia is fully described, . . . ." However, it is necessary to note that I published a long time ago (1933), about the same species and surely the same subspecies, because the names of E. Le Moult (1932-33), in my opinion are subject to critical study and revision, in Guatemala occidental (Department of Quezaltenango).
I am sorry I cannot send you a reprint of my work because I have only one in my library. The entire reference of this study is: Novitates Entomologicae. Paris. Fasc. 3-4, 30 dec. 1933, p. 24-26, 1 pi. couleurs. "Observations biologiques sur les differents etats de Prepona omphale guatemalensis Le Moult (Lep. Nymphalidae) par Rene Lichy." Also in: Nov. Entom., Janvier 1932, 2e. annee No. 1, ler. supplement, p. 11, pi. couleurs. About the species, subspecies and aberrations described by E. Le Moult, cf. collection of "Nov. Entom."
I send this notice to you for the next "Journal." Thank you very much. Very best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Rene Lichy
"Yavita"
Chemin des Claies
F-95320 Saint Leu-La Foret
France
Volume 28, Number 1
79
Dear Sirs,
In a recent issue of your Journal (Vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 8-12, 1973) Professor Sargent concludes his short article with the following statement, ". . . numerous other experimental results (Sargent, 1968, 1969a and b) fail to support the reflectance matching mechanism proposed by Kettlewell (1955) and Ford (1964) to explain the selection of appropriate backgrounds by bark-like moths. On the contrary all of the evidence to date supports the view that these background selections are genetically fixed or innate responses."
I would like to ask one simple question: if in fact this statement is true, I would like Professor Sargent's views as to how the two morphs of Biston betularia (f. typica and its melanic f. carbonaria) succeed so well in correct choice of backgrounds—two very different ones.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. H. B. D. Kettlewell
Department of Zoology—Genetics Unit
South Parks Road
Oxford, England
Ed. Note: Since my views are solicited, I would suggest that the two morphs of Biston betularia differ both at the loci controlling the visible expression of melanism and at loci controlling background resting preference. I would assume that the different background preferences of the two morphs are fixed or innate, in the sense of being unmodifiable during the life of the insect. In such a situation, one would expect the evolution of mechanisms, such as the formation of supergene complexes, to insure that each morph inherits the appropriate background preference.
OBITUARY KENNETH JOHN HAYWARD (1891-1972)
Kenneth John Hayward was born on March 7th, 1891 in the small village of Pitney, near Taunton, in Somerset. At the age of eighteen he was already earning a living in London as an electrician, and by 1912 he was working on the Aswan dam in Egypt in the same capacity. He joined the forces soon after the outbreak of war in 1914, serving in France, Greece and Cyprus, and returning to Aswan with the rank of Captain in 1919. In 1922 he returned to London and eventually secured a post as an engineer with the land-owning Argentine La Forestal company, which he took up in 1923 and held till 1929. It was during these years that he spent at Villa Ana and elsewhere in the Chaco that he amassed the very large collections that he presented almost in their entirety to the British Museum (Natural History), to be added to those he made whilst in Egypt.
About 1930 he became associated with Albert and Adolph Breyer, both keen entomologists, working with them at Patquia, La Rioja, Argentina. His status as an entomologist, however, was only realized beyond doubt when in 1934 he was appointed in that capacity to the Agricultural
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