Subject: Australian Butterflies

From: Stuart Warrington <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 11:44:17 +0000

Dear all,
I am lucky to be going to Cairns, Queensland, Australia in Aug 1996.
Can anyone help me with a good book/guide to buy ?

Thanks,

Dr Stuart Warrington
Department of Environmental Sciences
University of Hertfordshire,
Hatfield.  AL10 9AB
United Kingdom.
Fax  01707 284514
Tel  01707 284137

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From: [email-masked] (DIPTERA2)
Date: 24 Jun 1996 09:46:53 -0400

Well, I am really not to sure about the butterfly aspect of
australia, but the small continent  is rich with other diversities. I hope
you realize the golden opportunitie you have at your feet. Make sure you
get in some dino-hunting. Even though most taxonomists don't believe it, I
am sure that there is a connection with ancient dinosaurs and the ratites.
Australia, at one time had a lot of different species of them, some of
them were extremely, extremely large. Larger than even the elephant bird
of Madagascar. I am jeolous as heck. :)
     Good luck and have a lot of fun. I am going to want photos.:)
THE BEETLE GUY IN OKLAHOMA  \ /
 If you think education is                  (_)
expensive, try ignorance.               \-{  }-/
                                                   \-{_}-/
                                                     <>

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From: [email-masked] (Dave Britton)
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 10:49:45 +0000

> University of Hertfordshire,

Best book (really the only book!) is Common & Waterhouse, Butterflies of
Australia, 2nd ed., Angus & Robertson.  Out of print though, so you may
have to find it secondhand.  There is a field guide version in paperback
which has virtuallly all the info present in the hardback version.  There
is a book by Valentine (Can't remember the title at the moment) which would
be good for the Cairns region, but this is not comprehensive; just colour
photos of representative groups in the region.  Very pretty though.
-- 
David R. Britton, Biological Sciences, 
University of Wollongong NSW Australia 2522 
(Ph) 61-42-213436 (Fax) 61-42-214135, email <[email-masked]>

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From: [email-masked] (Dave Britton)
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 10:54:22 +0000

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (DIPTERA2)

> expensive, try ignorance.               \-{  }-/

Actually, we are depauperate in butterfly species, given the huge size and
diversity of habitats available.  There are only about 400 spp., including
vagrants from the north, compared with Southern Africa, which is a much
smaller area, with similar variation in habitat, which has over 800spp.! 
Still, there are some very interesting endemic groups, particularly
satyrines, lycaenids and hesperiids (notably the Trapezitinae), with some
spectacular colours.

The only explanation for this apparent lack of species that I have come
across is the aridity of large parts of the country, following long periods
of glaciation.  Has anyone seen any convincing arguments for this?

Wish I was going to Cairns too!

Dave.