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.
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 44(4), 1990, 292-293
BOOK REVIEWS
Butterflies of Europe, Vol. 2: Introduction to Lepidopterology, by Otakar Kudrna, Editor. 1990. AULA-Verlag GmbH, Postfach 1366, D-6200 Wiesbaden, Germany. 557 pp. + list of contributors, with 4 color plates containing 32 photographs, 93 figures, 25 tables, and 2 diagrams. Hard cover, 16 x 23.5 cm, ISBN 3-89104-033-4; DM
197 ($125 U.S.).1
Review by Clifford D. Ferris
Because of the nature of this volume, it is difficult for one individual to review the entire book in detail. To do it justice, several specialists should comment upon the individual technical chapters that are related to their areas of expertise. Consequently, my comments will be of a general nature.
Volume 2 is the third to be issued in a projected eight-volume series (previously published were Vol. 1: Concise Bibliography of European Butterflies, 1985; Vol. 8: Aspects of Conservation of Butterflies in Europe, 1986). In addition to the editor, there are twelve authors from Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, and Yugoslavia. The 14 chapters are titled: General introduction; Lepidopterology in Europe; Morphology: Early stages; Morphology: Adult structure and function; Butterfly phylogeny and fossils; Origins and phylogeny of butterflies; Genetics of European butterflies; Case studies in ecological genetics; The butterfly chromosomes and their application in systematics and phylogeny; Enzyme electrophoretic methods in studies of systematics and evolutionary biology of butterflies; Experimental breeding of butterflies; Parasitoids of European butterflies and their study; Behaviour of butterflies; The movements of butterflies. The book concludes with an index of butterfly scientific names, followed by a general index. All four of the color plates depict either hybrids or various color forms of European pierids. References are provided at the end of each chapter, but only those not included in Vol. 1 of this series. Consequently, the reader who wishes to follow up on text citations must have this volume available. Butterfly nomenclature generally follows that of Higgins and Riley: A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Britain and Europe (Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1970).
Introduction to Lepidopterology is very thorough and by far the longest of the three volumes published to date. Although the book is directed toward a European audience, 9 of the 14 chapters apply to butterflies in general and contain a wealth of information about physiology, genetics, breeding, behavior, movement, and dispersal. Although many of the chapters address butterflies in general, all of the species cited as examples are European, as the book's title implies.
Chapter 1 is simply a two-page introduction written by the editor. Chapter 2, by the editor and M. Wiemers, presents a list of European institutions, societies, and periodicals that are devoted to Lepidoptera. It is useful to have this information compiled in one place, since many American collectors seem to a large degree to be unaware of European organizations and periodicals. There are five listings for the U.S.A., including three museums and two societies. Unfortunately, the book states that the Allyn Museum of Entomology (AME) is a former name, and does not point out that AME has retained its individual identity even though it is now part of the Florida Museum of Natural History. Forty-six pages of this chapter are devoted to very brief biographical entries for "selected past [deceased] personalities" of the European lepidopterological community. For those individuals who maintained collections, the current locations of extant collections are listed. This in itself is very useful information for taxonomists. Where applicable, citations are provided to more extensive biographies of the individuals.
1 Editor's note: Volume 1, Concise Bibliography of European Butterflies, was reviewed by Oakley Shields in JLS 40(2): 123; Volume 8, Aspects of the Conservation of Butterflies in Europe, was reviewed by Clifford D. Ferris in JLS
41(2):128-129.
Volume 44, Number 4
293
Chapters 3 and 4, authored respectively by J. P. Brock and J. A. Scott, on morphology and physiology cover these subjects in depth. Many well executed line drawings are provided to explain points made in the associated text. Both chapters contain extensive glossaries of terms. Chapter 5, by J. A. Scott and D. M. Wright, treats butterfly phylogeny and fossils. Actually there is only very brief mention (less than a page) of butterfly fossils per se, and I feel that this is an unfortunate omission. Although a few literature citations are included, the papers by Scudder, Cockerell, F. M. Brown, J. Y. Miller and F. M. Brown, and others are not cited. The majority of this chapter is devoted to a list that delineates shared derived traits arranged by butterfly family/subfamily/tribe. I suspect that many specialists will find controversial certain aspects of this presentation. The chapter concludes with a phylogeny of butterflies as presented in Fig. 5/1. The relatively short Chapter 6, by J. P. Brock, presents another viewpoint about the origins and phylogeny of butterflies. Various conflicting theories are explored, and the later sections of the chapter assess various evolutionary scenarios.
In Chapter 7, R. Robinson presents a broad coverage of Lepidopteran genetics, including mechanisms of inheritance, polymorphism, electrophoretic variation, and cytogenetics. Specific species examples are discussed. A comprehensive glossary and extensive bibliography conclude this chapter. The difference between genetic and non-genetic variation (such as seasonal, thermal or photo-variation) is clearly differentiated. Chapter 8, by P. M. Brakefield, treats case studies in ecological genetics using several European satyrids as examples. The discussion is generally directed toward wing-spot characters of adult butterflies. Chapter 9, by Z. Lorkovic, on chromosomes and their application in systematics, and the following chapter, by H. Geiger on enzyme electrophoretic methods, present many practical details and methods for conducting such studies. Both are extensive treatments.
S. R. Boden, in the short Chapter 11, presents much useful information with regard to pairing and rearing butterflies. His comments apply to any region of the world in which butterflies occur. In Chapter 12, M. R. Shaw presents a broad overview of the study of lepidopteran parasitoids. General biology of parasitoids is discussed along with collecting and rearing methods. Various families of dipteran and hymenopteran parasitoids are outlined. A brief glossary and extensive bibliography conclude this chapter.
Chapters 13 and 14, by T. G. Shreeve, explore butterfly behavior, movement, and dispersal. Such matters as thermoregulation, mate location, communication, mate recognition, feeding behavior, oviposition behavior, and migration are addressed.
The high quality of publication of the two previous volumes is maintained in Vol. 2. The book is in English, but I did note occasional lapses into Germanic spelling, such as "Amerika," "Republik," and "Finnland."
It is difficult to assess the audience to which this work is directed. In the introductory chapter, the editor has stated that the book is aimed toward "lepidopterists and the mere users of Lepidoptera." He also noted that it deals in a somewhat unbalanced manner with only some aspects of lepidopterology. There is virtually no treatment of ecology, for example, but all of Vol. 7 is to be devoted to this subject. Volumes 3-6 will be the taxonomic treatments, and will probably generate the most interest among readers. For the most part, this book presents in-depth coverage; more so than is necessary or even understandable to the casual butterfly collector. On the other hand, the serious lepidopterist should find much that is of interest. Volume 2 also serves as the reference/backup for some of the sections of the previously published Vol. 8. The associated bibliographies provide sources for detailed information not included in the individual chapters. The market potential of this work is somewhat limited because of the restriction to European species, although as noted above, much of the content is of general applicability.
This is the type of book that should be available in institutional libraries, but its high cost will probably discourage many private individuals from buying a copy. On balance, I feel that it would be a worthwhile addition to the libraries of those lepidopterists who can afford it.
Clifford D. Ferris, Bioengineering Program, University of Wyoming, P.O. Box 3295 University Station, Laramie, Wyoming 82071-3295.