Subject: 1st Sight= Nymphalis

From: [email-masked] (Rob King)
Date: 29 Mar 95 03:03:00 GMT

Hristos Thomas Anastassiu <[email-masked]> wrote:

HTA>First sightings for Ann Arbor MI (50 miles west of Detroit):

HTA>Two Mourning Cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa) were flying on  March
   >25 in a lightly wooded area in an Ann Arbor suburb. The weather
   >was sunny and the temperature was about 60F (15C).

It was two days before this <3-23>, and 150 miles further North... there
were still patches of unmelted snow on the ground, and I saw no less
than three different N.antiopa enjoying the unusually warm, sunny day.
One individual seemed very intent on sunning itself on a particular
branch that enjoyed a commanding view... I regret not having my camera,
as I moved in to about a foot away.   It was obviously an adult, but in
absolute PERFECT condition... I don't see how this individual could have
overwintered as an adult and still been in this perfect condition.
Anybody familiar with the overwintering/early emergence of the
Nymphalis..??...  I always thought they overwintered as adults, but in
this case, it appeared to be a young adult recently emerged.

Rob.
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From: Soren Nylin <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 09:34:19 +0200

> * QMPro 1.53 * ------>---->--->-->->> [email-masked] <<-<--<---<-----
Nymphalis and all its relatives (Polygonia, Aglais, Inachis) do overwinter
as adults. Now and then there are reports of overwintering in the pupal
stage, but they probably come from observations such as this one of fresh
specimens in the spring. I have reared many species in this group of
butterflies and I have never seen diapause in the pupal stage. There are
several species of adult overwintering butterflies in Sweden, and they often
look very fresh in the spring. I guess it just depends on whether they found
a good place to rest. On the other hand it would be very difficult to prove
that they never overwinter in the pupal stage, especially in areas where the
climat is relatively warm.

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Soren Nylin
Dept of Zoology
Stockholm University
S-106 91 Stockholm
SWEDEN

Tel +46-8-164033
FAX +46-8-167715
EMAIL [email-masked]