|
News (Archive) | March 2005
B-files
Antique butterflies available digitally — — [30 Mar 2004 | 2:30 GMT] Part of one of the world’s oldest biological collections, Linnaeus’s butterfly type specimens, is now freely available in digital format. The new image database has been launched on the website of The Natural History Museum, London... [Full story] Butterflies & moths on the WWW | Headlines SPECIAL
Extinction and biogeography in the Caribbean: new evidence from a fossil riodinid butterfly in Dominican amber —This paper describes and illustrates a stunning series of three recently collected amber pieces from the Dominican Republic, each of which contains the same extinct metalmark butterfly, here named Voltinia dramba. Because the wings, head and body of the butterfly fossils are so exquisitely preserved, it is hard to believe that it was actually 15—25 million years ago that the butterflies alighted on forest trees and became entombed in their sticky resins. A primitive Mexican species, apparently a ‘living fossil’ itself, is identified as the closest living relative of the amber butterfly fossils, and the two species are believed to have diverged about 40—50 million years ago. As this speciation date is contemporaneous with the oldest known butterfly rock fossils, butterflies may be more ancient insects than previously believed. 16 Mar 2004 The Royal Society Proceedings: Biological Sciences — [Abstract] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The world’s first genetically modified butterfly — Researchers at the University at Buffalo have generated the world’s first genetically modified butterfly using mobile genetic elements that can integrate foreign genes into a genome. They introduced into the genome of the African butterfly, Bicyclus anynana, a jellyfish gene and a genetic switch that causes this gene to express green fluorescent protein in the eyes. The modified butterflies had fluorescent green eyes and passed this trait on to their offspring. The researchers plan to use this technique to study how genes produce the diverse colour patterns on the wings of butterflies. 10 Mar 2004 The Royal Society Biology Letters — [Abstract] Nature.com — 29 Mar 2004 Scientists have harvested a virus in order to wipe out a caterpillar that can be fatal to humans... Tourists throng world’s first tropical butterfly sanctuary in Malaysia — Webindia123.com — 27 Mar 2004 The world’s first tropical butterfly sanctuary in Malaysia’s Penang district is fast becoming a major tourist attraction... Lost UK butterfly thriving again — BBC News — 26 Mar 2004 The large blue butterfly, which went extinct in the UK in 1979, is making a dramatic comeback after the species was reintroduced by conservationists... Open your eyes to butterflies — Christian Science Monitor — 23 Mar 2004 From San Francisco to New York City, from the Canadian border to the southern tip of Argentina, Art Shapiro has traveled all across the Americas to study butterflies. But the winged wonders he knows best live right in his hometown of Davis in northern California... Loss of birds and butterflies may be a sign of major global extinction — International Herald Tribune — 18 Mar 2004 A detailed survey of birds and butterflies in Britain shows a population decline of 54 to 71 percent, a finding that suggests the world may be undergoing another major extinction... All about butterflies — St. Petersburg Times, FL, USA — 18 Mar 2004 Answers to some frequently asked questions about butterflies... Stunning amber butterflies hint at ancient origins — New Scientist — 17 Mar 2004 Butterflies may be far more ancient creatures than previously believed, reveals a new study of fossil specimens exquisitely preserved in amber... Programs teach creation of butterfly habitats — Leesburg Daily Commercial, FL, USA — 15 Mar 2004 Despite housing development, pollution and mosquito control, butterflies remain free and fly in Florida all year long. Without help they could die off... Want to know more about butterflies? — Indianapolis Star — 14 Mar 2004 Butterflies stand on their food because they ‘taste’ the sugar in nectar through sensors on their feet. Some females ‘taste’ host plants to find an appropriate place to lay their eggs... Butterfly Pavilion takes wing today for 3rd year — The Arizona Republic — 13 Mar 2004 Phoenix — The Desert Botanical Garden will reopen its colourful Butterfly Pavilion to the public today... GM scientists create brand-new butterfly — Telegraph.co.uk — 6 Mar 2004 Imagine a world where butterflies are adorned with advertising slogans, logos and exhortations from the Government to keep fit and eat less... Scientists Identify Anti-Sex Scent — Discovery Channel — 3 Mar 2004 For the first time, scientists have identified a chemical that turns males off sex... Those painted ladies are headed north — Fence Post, CO, USA — 1 Mar 2004 Hold on to your hats boys — the painted ladies are coming. We know they’re on their way, we just don’t know how many will be headed north this year... Just printed Phegea 32 (1) Interesting records of Lepidoptera in Belgium — Some new province records and interesting observations are mentioned. — Reference: De Prins, W. (2004): [Interesting records of Lepidoptera in Belgium in 2003 (Lepidoptera)]. — Phegea 32 (1) (1.III.2004): 1—6. [In Dutch] Some notes on two rare moths in Flanders — In the region of Leuven (province of Vlaams-Brabant) a small population of Euplagia quadripunctata (Poda, 1761) survives already since 1999. Also Siona lineata (Scopoli, 1763) lives in a locality close to Leuven since 1996. The caterpillars of both species live on several herbaceous plants. — Reference: Walterus, F. (2004): [Some notes on two rare moths in Flanders: Euplagia quadripunctata and Siona lineata (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae, Geometridae)]. — Phegea 32 (1) (1.III.2004): 7—8. [In Dutch] A new species of Lycaenidae described — A new species in subgenus Superflua, Satyrium (Superflua) khowari, has been described from the neighbourhood of Chitral (NW Pakistan). This species, apart from its bigger size, is characterised by a dark brown-‘roux’ ground colour, a longitidinal androconial patch at the end of the subcostal vein, and by the right angle of the postdiscal line in cell 1b on the underside of the hind wing. — Reference: Charmeux, J.-F. (2004): [A new species in subgenus Superflua from Pakistan (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)]. — Phegea 32 (1) (1.III.2004): 9—16. [In French] On the Lepidoptera of Greece: faunistic records for Samothráki — The Greek island of Samothráki is located in the northern part of the Aegean Sea. The list is based on personal records that were carried out in a four day period, during the second half of June 2003. Five species, Favonius quercus, Lampides boeticus, Limenitis reducta, Nymphalis polychloros and N. antiopa, have been recorded for the first time. — Reference: Coutsis, J. G. (2004): Skippers, Butterflies and Burnet moths from the Greek island of Samothráki, in late June (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea and Zygaenidae). — Phegea 32 (1) (1.III.2004): 17—23. A caterpillar of Noctuidae — In 2003 a full-grown caterpillar of Calophasia lunula (Hufnagel, 1766) was found on Linaria vulgaris at Gentbrugge (Belgium). Accompanied by a colour photograph, this also represents a first record of this species for the province of East Flanders. — Reference: Meuris, E. (2004): [Calophasia lunula and some other interesting records at Gentbrugge (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)]. — Phegea 32 (1) (1.III.2004): 33—35. [In Dutch] A rare species for Spain — Several new specimens of Mythimna languida (Walker, 1858) from Spain are recorded in 2002—2003. — Reference: De Vrieze, M. (2004): [Mythimna (Morphopoliana) languida (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)]. — Phegea 32 (1) (1.III.2004): 36. [In Dutch] |
