Subject: Painted ladies in Australia

From: Fernley Symons <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1996 20:09:29 +0000

Dear Lep-lovers

I wonder if anyone can tell me what the current status of the painted lady
[_Vanessa/Cynthia cardui_] in Australia is. The maps in Common and
Waterhouse 1981 and Dunn and Dunn 1991 are consistent with the position
that this species is one of the following:

1] A vagrant which has not been able to establish itself
2] A recently arrived [first specimens collected in 1951] colonist which
has not reached the full extent of its future range in Australia yet.
3] A vagrant which establishes itself in transient colonies which die out
after a couple of years.

The discussion of this species in both of the references above does not
make it clear which [if any] of the above pertain. Can anyone enlighten me?

Any of the above states would accord with the results of a recent
biogeographical study of mine. The genus _Vanessa_ was a statistical
outlier and this was due to the influence of _V. cardui_.

Thanks for any help

Fernley Symons

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Fernley Symons

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