Subject: Butterfly Marking Techniques

From: Sam Droege <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 10:36:51 MST

A colleague of mine from Ecuador is interested in doing some mark-racapture
     studies of butterflies.  He is looking for an effective marking technique
     for butterflies that would be readable without physical recapture.   It is
     very important that the making technique have as little impact on survival
     or behavior as possible.

     What sorts of marking techniques have folks found most effective?

     Thanks for the input.

     sam

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 Sam Droege  [email-masked]
 w 301-497-5840 h 410-798-6759 fax 301-497-5784
 NBS, 12100 Beech Forest Dr., Laurel, Md 20708
Http://www.im.nbs.gov

Two butterflies went out at noon
And waltzed above a stream,
Then stepped straight through the firmament
And rested on a beam;

And then together bore away
Upon a shining sea,--
Though never yet, in any port
Their coming mentioned be.

If spoken by the distant bird,
If met in ether sea
By frigate or by merchantman,
Report was not to me.
  --Dickinson

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From: Paul Opler <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 07:57:39 -0600

Sam, The best non-intrusive marking technique that I'm aware
         of was carried out by J.A. Powell at U.C. Berkeley who marked
         skippers while they were nectaring by using India ink and a
         small brush with one hair. He would dab the ink on the
         skipper's hindwing while it was at rest and then record the
         shape of thew mark made. Any capture and marking technique
         would not work on skippers and may change the behavior of
         many kinds of butterflies. Paul O.