Entomologist's Gazette - Vol. 65, No. 2, 2014
Published: 4/25/2014
Article Details for this issue
Editorial
By: Tremewan, W.G.
Page: 71
Type: Editorial
BOOK REVIEW: Britain's Day-flying Moths, by D. Newland, R. Still & A. Swash
By: Spalding, A.
Page: 71-72
Type: Book Review
Metalampra italica Baldizzone, 1977 (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) new to the British Isles and an account of its biology
By: Heckford, R.J.
Page: 73-86
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
The first occurrence is reported of Metalampra italica Baldizzone, 1977 (Oecophoridae) in the British Isles, from Devon, together with subsequent records from 12 further vice-counties. The adult is described for the first time in the British literature and differences are given between this species and Metalampra cinnamomea (Zeller, 1839). An account is provided of the larva and pupal, which have apparently not been previously described.
Mud-puddling aggregation behaviour in Pieris napi (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae): does polyandry and large spermatophore mass transfer lead to increased investment in mud-puddling?
By: Dennis, R.L., Dennis, M.P., Hardy, P.B. & Botham, M.S.
Page: 87-95
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
Mud-puddling aggregations of Pieris napi have been recorded more frequently than of other butterfly species in the U.K. Attention is focused on the factors, such as spermatophore mass and polyandry, likely to induce mud-puddling in this species particularly. Distinctive spatial patterns in mud-puddling aggregation behaviour are highlighted as a potentially valuable topic for future research.
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS The function of eye spots in the Peacock butterfly Aglais io (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Nymphalinae)
By: Tremewan, W.G.
Page: 96
Type: Short Notes
Anomalous daylight flight in Phymatopus hecta (Linnaeus, 1758) and other crepuscular and nocturnal moths (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae, Geometridae)
By: Turner, J.R.G.
Page: 97-104
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
Hepialid (Swift) moths fly predominantly in twilight, around sunset and dawn. Flight in daylight is rare, desultory and probably usually insignificant. The leking species Phymatopus hecta (Linnaeus, 1758) has, however, now been observed executing most of the lek repertoire in full daylight for two years running at the same locality in the Scottish Highlands. Earlier published reports of male swarming behaviour in daylight in England, Austria and European Russia suggest that this behaviour is widespread if infrequent. The flights occur in the early-mid-afternoon (2.5-3.0 hours after solar mid-day) and may be timed to coincide with the mid-day lull in bird feeding activity, analogous to the usual leking activity, which likewise occurs during the pre-sunset cessation of bird activity. Diurnal flight in crepuscular or nocturnal moths may be connected with temperature inversion in steep valleys. Unusual daylight activity is also observed in Korscheltellus fusconebulosa (DeGeer, 1778), Alcis repandata (Linnaeus, 1758) and Korscheltellus lupulinus (Linnaeus, 1758).
New records of Zygaena nevadensis Rambur, 1858 (Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae, Zygaeninae) from Greece
By: Coutsis, J.G., Anastassiu, H.T. & Ghavalas, N.
Page: 105-107
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
Two new locality records for Zygaena nevadensis Rambur, 1858, in Greece are given, together with a short account of the distribution of the species, its flight period, altitude and habitats.
BOOK REVIEW Bees: A Natural History, by Christopher O’Toole
By: ADRIAN SPALDING
Page: 108
Type: Book Review
Western Palaearctic Oedicephalini and Phaeogenini (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae, Ichneumoninae) in the National Museums of Scotland, with distributional data including 28 species new to Britain, rearing records, and descriptions of two new species of Aethecerus Wesmael and one of Diadromus Wesmael
By: ERICH DILLER & MARK R. SHAW
Page: 109–129
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
An account is given of approximately 3,250 western Palaearctic specimens, comprising 110 determined species, of the tribes Oedicephalini and Phaeogenini in the National Museums of
Scotland. Distributional and phenological data are given for all species, and rearing records are
provided for about 50, although not always with the host’s identity fully clear. Twenty eight
species are newly recorded from Britain, of which Aethecerus horstmanni sp. nov., Aethecerus
ruberpedatus sp. nov. and Diadromus nitidigaster sp. nov. are described and figured. Tycherus
histrio (Wesmael, 1848) sp. rev. is raised from synonymy with Tycherus ischiomelinus
(Gravenhorst, 1829); Dicaelotus schmiedeknechti nom. nov. is provided for Dicaelotus ruficornis
(Schmiedeknecht, 1903) nec (Ashmead, 1890); Aethecerus subuliferus (Holmgren, 1890) is
proposed as a comb. nov.; and Phaeogenes nigridens Wesmael, 1848, is proposed as a comb.
rev.
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS Variation of Aricia agestis (Linnaeus, 1761) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in Suffolk
By: R. PARKER
Page: 130-131
Type: Short Notes
BOOK REVIEW Checklist of the Lepidoptera of the British Isles. Compiled and edited by David J. L. Agassiz, Stella D. Beavan and Robert J. Heckford
By: MARK R. SHAW
Page: 132-134
Type: Book Review