Subject: Re: Western Moth Guide

From: "Charles V. Covell Jr." <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 15:38:23 EDT

Dept. of Biology, Univ. of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292
PHONE: (502) 852-6771

Terry:  I would guess, with my regular on-going teaching and other duties,
it would take 4-5 years.  The eastern guide began with mentin by Charles
Remington to R.T. Peterson that I do this project in 1971, and the book
was published in 1984.  But this was a first-time effort and the MS
was done on a correcting selectric typewriter!  If I were to do a new
"Moth Book" I would plan to have it published in 2005 - a century after
Holland's.  Could be sooner.  But I have a MONA fascicle on Geometridae
subfam. Sterrhinae to finish (sabbatical, fall 95) and the Butterflies &
Moths of KY. (about ready for editing) ahead of a new project.  The support
I need is as many comments as possible that the book is needed and
would sell - not to just lepidopterists, but to the general public! Many
thanks for your support, and those of our netmates.  Charlie

---

From: James Kruse <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 10 May 1995 08:35:02 CST

Colin Cracknell <[email-masked]> writes:

> For beginners at least, these (photographs of mounted specimens are
>*useless*. Show someone a mounted specimen of the Buff
>Tip (Notodontidae: Phalera bucephala), then try to convince them of
>its birch-twig camouflage. A set specimen, with its wings
>outstrectched, looks nothing like a twig. A live one, with its wings
>folded back, the yellow face, and the buff spots on the ends of the
>wings is a superb replica of a broken twig but bears no resemblance
>at all to museum specimens.

> Set specimens are essential for fine distinctions between similar
> species, but without photos of at least a few characteristic members of
> each family only an expert woould find them useful for a field guide.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
  I tend to disagree with the statement that only an expert would
find the field guide useful.  The purpose of a field guide is to aid
in identification.  The best way to "picture book" a moth or
butterfly is to have a complete picture of all wing markings, shapes,
and other characteristics, such as veination (if the picture is good).
  I'm certain I do not speak for myself when I say that none of these
pictures of spread Leps depict the creature in any pose it struck in
life.  It is too bad that the wonderful crypsis and the plants
involved, as well as behavioral adaptations are lost in spread
photos.  I wish for an ecologically correct as well as a useful-for-
identification field guide, but I don't believe such a work is
affordable.  It would be absolutely huge if it is to be at all
complete (not just "pretty" ones).  The Eastern Moth Guide depicts
only representative moths the way it is (ie. only Xylena curvimacula
is depicted, where there are at least three other Xylena spp in
Wisconsin).  Wonderful book by the way, don't get me wrong.
  I vote for more complete coverage rather than photos of natural
conditions (I would love both) for the sake of identification and a
"manageable" field guide.

My opinion of course.....

Cheers,
Jim Kruse

Dept Entomology
Univ Wisonsin
Madison, WI 53706
608-262-4755

---

From: "Charles V. Covell Jr." <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 1995 14:54:14 EDT

Dear Leps-L'ers:  I am back from a fine class trip to Costa Rica with
20 seniors.  We visited La Selva (where I left about 350 moth specimens
mostly micros mounted and labelled inlcuding INBio barcode) with Dr.
Jack Longino who "deputized" us to add to the ALAS collection (Arthropods
of La Selva Survey).  I hope Jerry Powell and others can make use of them.
We next visited Monteverde, where we saw quetzals, hummers, and some leps.
Finally, we visited the Caribbean Conservation Corp. station at Tortuguero,
where we saw a jaguar (4 legged kind) swimming across the San Juan River,
a few crocs on the bank, monkeys, sloths, etc.  A great trip, but Lepid-
optera down in numbers, probably due to very dry winter.
  Larry Gall, if you see this, please resubscribe me to Leps-L, as my
efforts to address a resubscribe notice have bounced repeatedly.  Probably
failed to do one little thing, and my "recipe" is lost in hyperspace (or
cyberspace).  Greetings to all; saw a giant swallowtail on our campus
yesterday, and butterfly bushes are beginning to bloom nicely now! Charlie