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Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 52(3), 1998,342-343
BOOK REVIEWS
Papilionidae y Pieridae de Mexico.- Distribucion Geografica e Ilustracion, by Jorge E. Llorente-Bousquets, Leonor Onate-Ocafia, Armando Luis-Martinez, and Isabel Vargas-Fernandez. Illustrations by Pal Janos. 1997. Published by Comision Nacional Para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO) and Facultad de Ciencias, Uni-versidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. 227 + 8 pages, 28 color plates, 116 distribution maps. Softcover, glossy paper, 21.5 x 28.0 cm, ISBN 968-36-6456-3. Available from the Museo de Zoologia, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, Apdo. Postal 70-399, Ciudad Universi-taria, 04510, Mexico D.F., e-mail: ivf@hp.fciencias.unam.mx, for about U.S. $35.00.
Since its formation in 1978, the "Alfonso L. Herrera" Zoology Museum (MZFC) in the Sciences Department at Mexico's National Autonomous University has been one of the leading Mexican natural history research institutions, with collections and specialists in groups such as ectoparasites, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, and Lepidoptera, especially butterflies. In the last 20 years, this institution has amassed and assembled one of the largest and most complete collections of Mexican butterflies. Published results of fieldwork by museum faculty in the Mexican states of Veracruz, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Colima, and Jalisco have revealed a much more diverse butterfly fauna in those states than was previously believed, and have made available a tremendous amount of new information on the temporal and geographical distribution of the butterfly fauna in western Mexico.
For a nation with approximately 2000 species of butterflies (including skippers), surprisingly few regional lists of species and no comprehensive field guides to any group of butterflies are available. This new book, treating all the species of Papilionidae and Pieridae of Mexico, is the field guide that naturalists interested in the larger butterflies of Mexico have been long awaiting. Complete data from over 50,000 specimens in these families, from the MZFC collection, most major butterfly collections in the United States, and from previous literature sources, are presented in telegraphic form (arranged by species and state). Distribution maps are provided for each species that show specific records plotted on small maps of Mexico, with state boundaries indicated. All species of Papilionidae and Pieridae are illustrated in 28 color plates, showing subspecific and other variation among certain species in many cases. Other useful features of the book include a complete listing of type localities of all subspecies treated, a gazetteer of localities listed in the book, arranged by state, giving the latitude and longitude of each locality (Appendix II), a tabular representation of much of the data presented in the book, and an extensive bibliography of Mexican Papilionidae and Pieridae (Appendix III).
Only a small amount of text is present in the book, which is entirely in Spanish. The majority of the volume of the book is taken up by appendices listing data from all specimens examined, and data from literature sources. The listing of locality data for each species is split into two sections. The first section (Appendix I), preceeding the distribution maps, lists data for all localities plotted on the distribution maps (Appendix IV). The second part (Appendix V), following the maps, lists data for each species that could not be plotted on the maps, such as general state or regional records, and records of localities that are too vague to be plotted. Most of the records in this section are from literature sources, all of which are cited in Appendix III.
The subspecific status of Euchloe hyantis (W. H. Edwards, [1871]) in Mexico is confused in the book. While E. hyantis lotta (Beutenmiiller, 1898) is listed as being described from Arizona, all Chihuahua records are considered to be hyantis hyantis, and Baja California records to be hyantis lotta in Appendix I and on the distribution maps. In Appendix V, Baja California, Chihuahua, and Sonora records are all correctly listed together as E. hyantis lotta, as E. hyantis hyantis does not occur in Mexico (many authors now treat E. lotta and hyantis as separate species—an issue that will not be dealt with here). No other major errors or inconsistencies were noticed in the book.
This book is an extremely useful, lightweight, portable field guide that will be of great use to all naturalists and entomologists interested in the Mexican butterflies and Mexican biogeography in general. It does not contain the basic introductory information on butterflies that clutters the beginning of so many field guides or discussions for each species
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based on speculation or personal observations. The book includes the raw data for 180 butterfly subspecies collected over a period of almost 20 years and leaves the interpretation of the data to the reader. Although the book is written in Spanish, readers without any knowledge of the language will be able to easily extract almost all of the information in the book, due to its lack of an extensive text, its clear, logical organization, and its excellent distribution maps and color plates. The only shortcoming of the color plates is the failure to illustrate the ventral surfaces of many of the species illustrated. For collection-based research, however, the plates are more than adequate.
This book is a must for all lepidopterists interested in Neotropical or southern Nearctic butterfly fauna (including southwestern United States), as well as entomologists and naturalists with a general interest in Lepidoptera. Specific locality and literature information on extremely rare endemic species, including Pterourus esperanza (Beutelspacher, 1975), and Protographium thyastes occidentalis (R. G. Maza, 1982), among others, will be of great value to conservationists. We can only hope that this team of researchers will produce similar field guides on other families of Mexican butterflies!
Andrew D. Warren, Department of Entomology, Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331-2907
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 52(3), 1998, 343-344
Historia Natural del Lepidopter Graellsia isabelae (Graells, 1849), by Josep Ylla i Ullastre. 1997. Published by Institut d'Estudis Catalans, Carrer del Carme 47, E-08001 Barcelona, Spain (mpascual@iec.es). 232 pages, 27 color photographs, 68 tables, 60 figures (mostly graphs). Soft cover, dust jacket, 18 x 24.5 cm, ISBN 84-7283-375-5. Available from the publisher for 2000 Spanish pesetas plus 500 pesetas postage (about U.S. $16.25). Printing limited to 600 copies.
This book stands alone as the single most detailed and intensive piece of work on the biology of any species of Saturniidae. The subject of the study, which was Dr. Ylla's dissertation (1992, Autonomous University of Barcelona), is the beautiful Spanish moon moth (Graellsia isabelae (Graells)), a close relative of our luna moth (Actias luna (L.)). Virtually every aspect of the biology, distribution, species-level taxonomy, and summary of the existing literature about the moth has been covered. The text is written in Catalan, the regional language of Catalonia, but if one can read other Romance languages, much valuable information can be extracted from the book. The tables and graphs are quite clear in their presentation, so that language is a minimal barrier. Incidentally, the magnificent dust jacket has a large color photograph of a male moth in profile, enlarged to the point that individual scales can be seen. The moth is revered by the Spaniards, with the species named for their beloved Queen Isabel II, and the genus named for their famed entomologist Dr. Mariano de la Paz Graells.
The author meticulously made observations and recorded data for a decade (1981-1991) on this insect. This was possible because he lives in the pine forests where the moth is common. (I had the good fortune in 1995 to visit the author at his home to see for myself the habitat of this famous moth and to experience Catalonian hospitality.) The moth is strictly univoltine, overwintering in the pupal stage. The primary hostplant is Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). Although "protected" from collecting by Spanish law, the moth is not at all endangered. In recent years one threat to its populations in Catalonia has been the aerial spraying of diflubenzuron to kill caterpillars of the pine processionary moth (Thaume-topoea pityocampa (D. & S.)). This situation is parallel to the flawed policy in the United States where Bacillus thuringiensis is used to kill caterpillars of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar (L.)), but which also kills many other non-target Lepidoptera in our forests.
There is a section showing range maps as depicted by several earlier authors, as well as sections on parasitoids, diseases, and hostplant trials. Data were recorded on flight times, diapause, emergences (circadian and seasonal), larval development, phototaxis, muscular