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Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 41(4), 1987, 239
NOCTUELLES ET GEOMETRES D'EUROPE. DEUXIEME PARTIE. GEOMETRES. VOLUME HI—
1917-1919. Jules Culot. Reprint edition, 1987. Apollo Books, Svendborg, Denmark. Order from: Apollo Books, Lundbyvej 36, DK-5700 Svendborg, Denmark. Vols. III-IV, DKK 1380.00.
This is an exact copy of the original volume, with 269 pp. and 37 color plates (figs. 1-771)—it is so identical, in fact, that the listings on the page of errata were not entered in the text of the reprint. The reprint edition is handsomely done, using glossy paper (which the original did not have) for both the text and plates; the latter are grouped together at the back instead of being randomly distributed throughout the text (as in the original). The figures were made from paintings and are all in color, always showing just half the moth, even though there is more than enough room to portray the entire insect; there has been a small loss of clarity and detail, and the colors do not always come up to the standards of the original, but the differences are usually small.
This volume amounts to a descriptive and illustrated edition of Staudinger and Rebel (1901, Catalog der Lepidopteren des Palaearctischen Faunengebietes) as it pertains to Europe. The present volume does not have any descriptions or even indications of any higher categories, much less keys to separate them; the only descriptive material is on the specific level and below. No bibliographies or synonymies are given; you have to refer to Staudinger and Rebel for references to original descriptions and other literature.
The Geometridae are covered in volumes 3 and 4 of this series. The family is arbitrarily chopped in half so that the two volumes will be approximately the same size. While this may make sense from a publisher's point of view, it doesn't from a systematic one. Volume 3 includes what today we call the Oenochrominae, Geometrinae, and part of the La-rentiinae (up to but not including Eupithecia). The Archiearinae is not included because Staudinger and Rebel placed Archieris Hiibner (Brephos auct.) as a separate family, the Brephidae.
Unless you are fairly well acquainted with the European geometrids, this book poses a number of problems, beginning with the lack of definitions of the higher categories. Without generic descriptions or diagnoses it may be difficult to properly place a given species, as some members of this family look disconcertingly similar but may belong to entirely different genera. If you are satisfied with the "picture book approach" you may be satisfied with Culot—but you take your chances on the identifications.
Because the scientific names date from 1901, and no new scientific research has been included since then, this book may be of more interest to the antiquarian than to today's collectors. I find a book published just before Culot's to be much more useful; this is L. B. Prout's Palearctic Geometridae (in A. Seitz, 1912-16 [English edition], The Macro-lepidoptera of the World, Vol. 4). Prout's encyclopedic knowledge of the geometrids enabled him to do a better job of classification, and all the higher categories are defined. A modern treatment is given by W. Forster and T. A. Wohlfahrt in their Die Schmet-terlinge Mitteleuropas; these authors do not hesitate to illustrate venation, antennae, and the genitalia of both sexes whenever needed, as well as colored plates of the adults.
Frederick H. Rindge, Department of Entomology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York 10024.