Four new butterfly varieties seen in Salem forest division

Senthil Kumaran | TN ..

SALEM: Four new varieties of butterflies and a new bird species were spotted in the Salem forest division during the three-day census that was carried out jointly by the forest department and Salem Nature Society (SNS) recently. 

In total, they have recorded 214 varieties of birds and 136 species of butterflies in the forest division. V Gokul, president, SNS, said, “The bird and butterfly survey was carried out by 135 specialists from various states for three days from Friday to Sunday (February 14-16).” The survey covered all the nine forest ranges in the Salem forest division. According to N Murugesan, secretary, SNS, three of the four new butterfly varieties - common tinsel, pale four-line blue and transparent sixline blue - were spotted in the Yercaud forest range and the remaining one - chocolate albatross - in the Danishpet forest range. 

They were spotted by butterfly experts A Pavendhan, S Soundararaj, T Nagaraj, R Krishnamoorthy and K K Nilesh. Pointing out that common tinsel was usually seen only in the Western Ghats and Northeast India, he said this was probably the first time the butterfly variety was seen in Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu. The butterfly is small in size and comes with silver edged bands, grey-brown lower body and blue upper body. 

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Global heating brings Mediterranean butterfly to the UK

Long-tailed blues and eggs seen in large numbers but are unlikely to survive the winter

Patrick Barkham

Wed 28 Aug 2019 17.31 BSTLast modified on Wed 28 Aug 2019 17.52 BST
A fast-flying migratory butterfly from the Mediterranean is appearing in large numbers across southern England this summer as a result of global heating, experts say.

More than 50 long-tailed blues and hundreds of the butterfly’s eggs have been discovered in recent weeks, which is likely to result in an unprecedented emergence of the butterfly in Britain later this autumn.

Experts believe record-breaking summer temperatures have led to the brightly coloured insect booming in number, with longer-term global heating helping it shift far north of its historical range.

“We’ve never recorded this many migrant adults before – it’s completely unprecedented,” said Neil Hulme of Butterfly Conservation, an expert on the long-tailed blue. “In only a few days, I’ve found more than 100 eggs in Sussex alone and the butterfly has been seen in Cornwall, Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Kent and Suffolk. We’ve even had a sighting in Glamorgan, in south Wales.”

The long-tailed blue is abundant in Africa and southern Europe but was once an extremely rare visitor to Britain – possibly brought in accidentally on imported plants and vegetables. Only 30 butterflies were recorded over 80 years after it was first spotted in Britain in 1859.

But this is the third time in six years that large numbers have crossed the Channel to reach the south coast, with a record 109 sightings in 2013.

The long-tailed blue may be small but it is a powerful flyer and lays eggs on plants such as everlasting pea, which are common in gardens and allotments. The eggs laid by migratory butterflies will hatch adult butterflies at the end of September or in October, but British winters are too cold for the butterfly to survive.

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Butterfly numbers down by two thirds, German scientists find

High-intensity agriculture reduces number of butterfly species in adjacent areas

Date:  March 20, 2019

Source:  Technical University of Munich (TUM)

Meadows adjacent to high-intensity agricultural areas are home to less than half the number of butterfly species than areas in nature preserves. The number of individuals is even down to one-third of that number. These are results of a research team led by Jan Christian Habel at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Thomas Schmitt at the Senckenberg Nature Research Society.

Germany is home to roughly 33,500 species of insects -- but their numbers are decreasing dramatically. Of the 189 species of butterflies currently known from Germany, 99 species are on the Red List, 5 have already become extinct, and 12 additional species are threatened with extinction.

Now a team led by Prof. Jan-Christian Habel of the Department of Terrestrial Ecology of the Technical University of Munich and Prof. Thomas Schmitt, Director of the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute in Muencheberg in Brandenburg, has examined the specific effects of the intensity of agricultural use on the butterfly fauna.

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New butterfly species discovered in Israel for the first time in 109 years

Date: May 5, 2017

Source: Pensoft Publishers

Vladimir Lukhtanov, entomologist and evolutionary biologist at the Zoological Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia, made a startling discovery: what people had thought was a population of a common species, turned out to be a whole new organism and, moreover -- one with an interesting evolutionary history. This new species is named Acentria's fritillary (Melitaea acentria) and was found flying right over the slopes of the popular Mount Hermon ski resort in northern Israel. It is described in the open access journal Comparative Cytogenetics.

"To me, it was a surprise that no one had already discovered it," says Vladimir Lukhtanov.

"Thousands of people had observed and many had even photographed this beautifully coloured butterfly, yet no one recognised it as a separate species. The lepidopterists (experts in butterflies and moths) had been sure that the Hermon samples belonged to the common species called Persian fritillary (Melitaea persea), because of their similar appearance, but nobody made the effort to study their internal anatomy and DNA."

In 2012, Vladimir Lukhtanov, together with his students, initiated an exhaustive study of Israeli butterflies using an array of modern and traditional research techniques. In 2013, Asya Novikova (until 2012, a master's student at St. Petersburg University and, from 2013, a PhD student at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem) sampled a few fritillaries from Mt. Hermon.

It was at that time when the researchers noticed that the specimens "didn't look right" -- their genitalia appeared different from those of the typical Persian fritillary. Over the next few years, Lukhtanov and his students studied this population in-depth. They carried out sequencing DNA from the specimens and found that they had a unique molecular signature -- very different from the DNA of any other fritillary.

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Is Alaska's first new butterfly species in decades an ancient hybrid?

 Date: March 18, 2016

Source: University of Florida

Some might say it takes a rare breed to survive the Alaska wilderness. The discovery of a possible new species of hybrid butterfly from the state's interior is proving that theory correct.

Belonging to a group known as the Arctics, the Tanana Arctic,Oeneis tanana, is the first new butterfly species described from the Last Frontier in 28 years and may be its only endemic butterfly.

University of Florida lepidopterist Andrew Warren suggests the butterfly could be the result of a rare and unlikely hybridization between two related species, both specially adapted for the harsh arctic climate, perhaps before the last ice age. Details of the finding are available online in the Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera.

Digging deeper into the Tanana Arctic's origins may reveal secrets about the geological history of arctic North America and the evolution of hybrid species, said Warren, who led the new study.

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Amazing! Rare half-male, half-female butterfly emerges in UK

OCTOBER 26, 2015

by Susanna Pilny

An “extremely rare” gynandromorph butterfly has been discovered in the UK!

Found in an attraction known as Butterfly World—a center dedicated to pay tribute to and support conservation of the creatures—in Hertfordshire, UK, the butterfly is actually half male and half female, as evidenced by its coloring. With the split occurring directly down the center, one half is black (male) and the other is yellow with a spot of red (female).

Genes apparently are to be thanked for this amazing event. Lepidopterist Louise Hawkins told the Daily Mail that this outcome is fixed “very early on” as it’s a result of “sex chromosomes [that] don't divide properly” during mitosis.

The butterfly itself is a Great Mormon, which occurs naturally from Australia up to India and Japan. Butterfly World is hoping to have it on display over the next few days, as it is rather rare—the chance of half-male, half-female butterflies being hatched is around 0.01 percent.

But unfortunately, it probably will not live long, as the incorrect division of sex chromosomes usually results in internal organs that are, according to Hawkins, “a bit mixed up”. This also means that the butterfly is infertile—so no others are likely to hatch any time soon.

In other words: Catch it while you can!

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Butterfly 'eyespots' add detail to the story of evolution

A new study of the colorful "eyespots" on the wings of some butterfly species is helping to address fundamental questions about evolution that are conceptually similar to the quandary Aristotle wrestled with about 330 B.C. – "which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

After consideration, Aristotle decided that both the egg and the chicken had always existed. That was not the right answer. The new Oregon State University research is providing a little more detail.

The study, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, actually attempts to explain the existence of what scientists call "serial homologues," or patterns in nature that are repetitive, serve a function and are so important they are often retained through millions of years and across vast numbers of species.

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Parasitic butterfly larvae mimic queen ant to avoid detection

Date:

April 9, 2014

Source:

PLOS

Summary:

Parasitic butterfly larvae may mimic ants' acoustic signals to aid in the infiltration of their host colonies. Ants aggressively defend their colonies and nests, so successfully that these locations make a perfect shelter for another similar species to live in. However, ants have evolved a complex set of signals that allow colony members to distinguish between residents and intruders.

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Two new butterfly species discovered in eastern USA

Intricate satyr (A) and Carolina satyr (B)

are very similar in wing patterns despite

being more evolutionary distant from each

 other, but south Texas satyr (C) is

distinguished by smaller eye spots are wavier

lines, while being much closer related to Caro

February 2014: Two new butterfly species have been discovered in eastern USA, one in east Texas and one in south Texas by scientists who were studying the common Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius). 

“It was completely unexpected', said Dr. Grishin. 'We were studying genetics of these butterflies and noticed something very odd. Butterflies looked indistinguishable, were flying together at the same place on the same day, but their DNA molecules were very different from each other. We thought there was some kind of mistake in our experiments." 

It soon became clear that the researchers were dealing with two species and one new to science, which were not even very closely related to each other, just very similar in wing patterns. The new species has been named Intricate Satyr (Hermeuptychia intricata). 

Initially discovered in Brazos Bend State Park in East Texas, Intricate Satyr is widely distributed all over eastern USA in several states, including Florida and South Carolina. 

Being curious about genetic makeup of these Satyrs the scientists decided to investigate DNA sequences and genitalia of Satyr populations from South Texas. And it immediately paid off. These populations turned out to be another new species, named "South Texas Satyr" (Hermeuptychia hermybius).

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/new-US-butterfly-species.html

New Zealand puts a $10 bounty on large white butterflies

Butterfly bounty introduced to eradicate great whites

September 2013. A $10 bounty on great white butterflies is being introduced by the Department of Conservation for the school holidays to help eradicate the pest from the Nelson area, Conservation Minister Dr Nick Smith has announced.

Dead, not alive

"We want great white butterflies dead not alive. They are an unwelcome pest and pose a major threat to endangered native cresses, and garden and commercial plants like cabbage and broccoli," Dr Smith says.

Only limited sightings so far

"To date they have only been found in Nelson Tasman but we must do everything we can to ensure they don't become a permanent widespread pest. Female great white butterflies can lay as many as 750 eggs so every butterfly killed potentially stops up to another 750 butterflies emerging. The peak period for the butterflies emerging from pupae this spring coincides with the school holidays. It's a great opportunity to involve school children in conservation, as well as earning some extra pocket money. It also has the potential to help us curb a spring breeding surge. The bounty is not limited to children. Adults are also invited to catch and kill great white butterflies and bring them in to claim their bounty."

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First Glencoe sighting for Chequered Skipper butterfly

Chequered Skipper butterfly branching out

June 2013. The glorious recent sunshine enabled the ranger team at the National Trust for Scotland's Glencoe and Dalness to spot a species that is new to the area, the Chequered Skipper butterfly. The species is only known in the UK within a 30 mile radius of Fort William, but had never been recorded at Glencoe until now. 

Ecologist Dan Watson, joined by volunteers Joss Ratcliffe and Callum Gilhooley, decided that the conditions were perfect for a butterfly hunt. Dan said: "We targeted suitable habitat in Glen Etive, starting at a fenced off area in Dalness. This looked perfect for Chequered Skippers, having a south-east facing slope covered with scattered trees, purple moor-grass (the larval food plant) and bluebells, which the adults prefer to nectar on.

20 Chequered skippers

"After a few false alarms caused by similarly-sized Common Heath moths, Joss caught something different in his net which turned out to be our target species. Once we'd got a better search image we started seeing them everywhere, counting at least thirteen individuals, four of which were metres from the road, seen while we were eating lunch.

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Striking Green-Eyed Butterfly Discovered in the United States

May 28, 2013 — A new butterfly species from Texas, given the common name Vicroy's Ministreak, was discovered because of its striking olive green eye color, and was given a formal scientific name (Ministrymon janevicroy). This beautiful new butterfly may be the last truly distinctive butterfly species to be discovered in the United States.

Although individuals of Vicroy's Ministreak were deposited in the Smithsonian entomology collections a century ago, this species was unrecognized because it was confused with the common, similar-looking Gray Ministreak. Interestingly what distinguishes the two species is the distinctive olive-green eyes of the new species in contrast to the dark brown/black eyes of the Gray Ministreak.

As their common names suggest both species are diminutive, about the size of a thumbnail, and may occur at the same time and place. Besides eye color, each has different wing patterns and different internal structures. They have different, but overlapping, geographic distributions and habitat requirements.

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New species of butterfly discovered in Jamaica

University of Florida researcher Andrew Warren displays the holotype specimen of a new genus and species of skipper butterfly from Jamaica in the Florida Museum of Natural. Photo by Jeff Gage.

Skipper butterfly is new species
December 2012. Belonging to the family of skipper butterflies, the new genus and species is the first butterfly discovered in Jamaica since 1995. Scientists hope the native butterfly will encourage conservation of the country's last wilderness where it was discovered: the Cockpit Country. This discovery underscores the need for further biodiversity research and establishing a baseline of organisms as more tropical areas suffer habitat destruction.

University of Florida scientists have co-authored the study describing a new Lepidoptera species found in Jamaica's last remaining wilderness.

"My co-authors on this paper, Vaughn Turland and Delano Lewis, are really excited because they think this butterfly has the potential to be a new sort of flagship species for Jamaican habitat conservation, because it's a black and gold butterfly living in a green habitat, which together comprise the Jamaican national colours," said study co-author Andy Warren, senior collections manager at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History. "Whether or not a tiny little butterfly is going to attract the type of conservation interest that the giant Homerus Swallowtail in Jamaica has remains to be seen."

Very small butterfly
With a wingspan of little more than 1 centimetre, Troyus turneri is about the size of a thumbnail with its wings spread, Warren said. The genus was named Troyus for the town of Troy, which is nearest to the region of the Cockpit Country where it was collected, and the species was named for Thomas Turner, an expert on Jamaica butterflies who contributed to its discovery.

Surprising discovery
Jamaica is considered one of the most thoroughly researched areas for butterflies in the Greater Antilles, which includes Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Until the discovery of T. turneri, researchers believed they knew all the butterflies in Jamaica, Warren said. The butterfly likely remained undiscovered for so long due to the inaccessible nature of the Cockpit Country, a 247-mile mostly undeveloped tangle of tropical vegetation. The species was described based on one male and one female specimen, collected in 2011 and 2012 within a quarter mile of each another.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/jamaica-butterfly.html

Painted lady migration secrets unveiled - 9000 miles to Africa and back

Migration much longer than America's Monarch butterflies

October 2012. One of the longest standing mysteries of migration has finally been solved after scientists discovered where the UK's Painted Lady butterfly population goes each autumn. The butterfly, a common immigrant, migrates from the continent each summer to UK shores in varying numbers. But up until now scientists did not know if the Painted Lady made the return journey at the end of the summer, like the closely related Red Admiral, or simply died in the UK.

In one of the largest citizen science projects ever conducted, scientists from Butterfly Conservation, the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and Rothamsted Research amongst others, have discovered exactly what happens to Painted Ladies each autumn.

More than 60,000 public sightings of the butterfly during 2009 were collected across Europe including radar images tracking butterfly movements across southern England with 10,000 British observers taking part.

High altitude migration
Scientists discovered that the Painted Lady did indeed migrate south each autumn but made this return journey at high altitude out of view of butterfly observers on the ground. Radar records revealed that Painted Ladies fly at an average altitude of over 500 metres on their southbound trip and can clock up speeds of 30 mph by selecting favourable conditions.

9000 mile round trip
The findings also revealed that the species undertakes a phenomenal 9,000 mile round trip from tropical Africa to the Arctic Circle - almost double the length of the famous migrations undertaken by Monarch butterflies in North America.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/painted-lady-migration.html