Fast-track warming in Europe is making butterflies and birds fall behind in moves to cooler habitats and prompting a worrying turnover in alpine plant species, studies published on Sunday said.
The papers, both published by the journal Nature Climate Change, are the biggest endeavour yet to pinpoint impacts on European biodiversity from accelerating global temperatures.
A team led by Vincent Devictor of France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) found that from 1990 to 2008, average temperatures in Europe rose by one degree Celsius.
This is extremely high, about 25% greater than the global average for all of the last century.
In order to live at the same temperature, species would have to shift northward by 249 kilometres, they calculated.
But during this period, butterflies moved only 114 kilometres, and birds by just 37 kilometres.
Population decline risk
The data is derived from observations made by a network of thousands of amateur naturalists, amounting to 1.5-million hours of fieldwork.
The study was not designed to say whether these species are suffering as a result of warming, which is one of the big questions in the climate-change saga.
However, the risk of population decline is clear, the authors say.
Species that lag behind a move to a more suitable habitat accumulate a "climatic debt".
Eventually, the impact of warming hits parts of the local food chain on which they depend, such as caterpillars or vegetation, and this cuts into their chances of being able to adapt. Finding a similar habitat is made more difficult by agriculture.
The second study looked at 867 samples of vegetation from 60 mountaintop sites across Europe in an assessment of the hottest decade on record.
Continental level
Seen at local level, there was little apparent change during in the study period of 2001 to 2008.
But when the picture zoomed out to continental level, it was clear that a major turnover was under way.
Cold-loving plants traditionally found in alpine regions were being pushed out of their habitats by warming-loving ones, which invaded higher altitudes that were now within their grasp.
"We expected to find a greater number of warm-loving plants at higher altitudes, but we did not expect to find such a significant change in such a short period of time," said study leader Michael Gottfried, a University of Vienna biologist.
"Many cold-loving species are literally running out of mountain. In some of the lower mountains in Europe, we could see alpine meadows disappearing and dwarf shrubs taking over within the next few decades."
The research was the biggest plant-count of its kind in Europe, gathering 32 researchers from 13 countries. -- AFP
Showing posts with label butterflies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label butterflies. Show all posts
Monday, January 9, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Equestrian conservation group voice fears over plans to dig up Epsom Downs
An equestrian conservation group has savaged plans to dig up part of Epsom Downs to level the racecourse and create a wildlife habitat for the threatened small blue butterfly.
Epsom Racecourse submitted plans earlier this year to flatten the land at Tattenham Corner using 'fill material' from the downs to reduce their costs when erecting a temporary derby marquee each year. The plans were approved by the Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators on December 5, a decision which the Epsom Equestrian Conservation Group (EECG) claim is against byelaws governed by the Epsom and Walton Downs 1984 regulation act. As part of the plans, fill material, will be sourced from three sites at Ashtead Park Garden Centre, an area off Langley Vale Road, and 1,500m3 from the foot of Walton Downs which the EECG fear will cause disruption and damage to the Downs.
More than 100 20 tonne lorry loads are expected to travel from the foot of Walton Downs to Tattenham Corner Road down a narrow bridle way, currently used by walkers, riders and cyclists, for an estimated two month period. Hugh Craddock, BHS bridleway officer for Epsom and Walton Downs said: “Our primary concern is the impact of 113 lorry loads driving across the foot of Walton Hill.
“If you are riding, walking or jogging down there what are you going to do when you meet a 20 tonne lorry?
“It’s a narrow track and it’s not wide enough to accommodate a lorry.
“At the meeting nobody even discussed that point.”
The Epsom Downs is not a public space and is owned largely by Epsom Racecourse which is subject to regulation by the Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators and the 1984 act.
However while plans have been approved by the Conservators, the EECG say the extraction of material from the downs goes against the spirit of the act which empowers them to may byelaws: “For preventing any digging or taking of stone, chalk, soil or other materials or the taking of turf, sods, trees, flowers, shrubs, plants or grass.”
Caroline Baldock, chair of the Epsom Equestrian Conservation Group said: “We are completely amazed that they want to this when it is against the byelaws.
“We are going to lobby the planning committee.”
After material has been extracted from the Downs, the land will be made ‘permanently unusable’ by horse riders and will be turned into a habitat for the small blue butterfly, which although they are spread across the UK, are few in number.
A spokesperson for the Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators said: “The Conservators were informed that both the Racecourse and the Lower Mole Countryside Management Project had identified the proposed location for sourcing that fill material as being one which would benefit in terms of ecology if fill material was taken from it.
“This area therefore would help create a more ‘natural’ Downs through the establishment of Kidney Vetch and thus a provision of a habitat for the small blue butterfly - not necessarily a ‘necessity’, but certainly a positive outcome for protecting the biodiversity of our environment.
“The Conservators were also assured that that the Racecourse would appoint a reputable contractor to undertake the transportation of materials, and it was emphasised that it was in the Racecourse’s own interests that the process was properly managed and carried out in accordance with the Ecological Assessment and Design and Access Statement.
“Frequent review meetings will be taking place between the racecourse and the Conservators to ensure that all requirements are being complied with.”
No date for the work has currently been set with plans now subject to approval by planning officers and the leisure committee at Epsom and Ewell Council.
FACT FILE: Small blue butterfly- Cupido minimus • Britain’s smallest resident butterfly with a wing span that can be a little as 16mm.
• Colonies are isolated and it is only found in small pockets of sometimes less than 30 adults • Numbers have plummeted in recent years due to loss of chalk grassland habitats.
• It feeds on kidney vetch plants, which only grow on poor nutrient, alkaline soils.
• Despite its name it is not particularly blue as its wings are a dark smokey-brown.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Butterflies Bamboozled by 2011's Weird Weather
2011's record-breaking weather has had knock-on consequences for our butterflies and moths
The record-breaking weather of 2011 bamboozled our butterflies and moths with many species appearing much earlier and later than in a typical year.
The hot, dry spring combined with the second warmest autumn on record saw butterflies on the wing from early March to mid-December.
Threatened species such as the Pearl bordered Fritillary and Grizzled Skipper benefitted from extended flight periods by emerging weeks ahead of their normal dates as spring temperatures soared.
The endangered Black Hairstreak typically emerges in June but was seen in May - the earliest emergence on record, and the Lulworth Skipper, which is restricted to Southern Dorset, was also on the wing seven weeks earlier than normal.
The balmy conditions of September and October saw a huge influx of migrant moths from Southern Europe.
The spectacular Humming-bird Hawk-moth is thought to have enjoyed its best ever year in the UK with more than 9,000 records sent to Butterfly Conservation, beating the previous 2006 high of 6,500.
Unseasonably warm winter weather has seen Red Admirals still on the wing in the run up to Christmas while some spring moths have emerged months ahead of schedule.
It was hoped that the warm spring would produce a bumper butterfly summer, but Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count revealed that the number of common species were down byaround 11% as they struggled in the coldest summer for 18 years.
But the effects of the record-breaking spring were still felt in some places.
Several single-brooded species were recorded much later than normal – a rare Marsh Fritillary being seen in mid-September, almost eight weeks after the butterfly should have disappeared for the year.
The second warmest autumn on record saw a huge influx of migrant moths from Southern Europe with exotic species such as the Crimson Speckled and Vestal moths recorded into October.
The UK recorded the largest number of rare Flame Brocades for 130 years, with a colony discovered at a secret location in Sussex.
And the unusual sightings are continuing well into December. Red Admirals are still regularly being seen and the unseasonably warm winter has prompted some species to hatch before Christmas, weeks ahead of schedule.
Spring Usher moths together with Hebrew Character and Common Quaker have been reported regularly since November - months earlier than they are supposed to appear.
Butterfly Conservation Surveys Manager Richard Fox said: “The weather is a matter of life and death for butterflies and moths, and 2011 has been a year of extremes.
“It’s too soon to tell exactly how the UK’s butterflies and moths have fared but the signs are that spring species, including many threatened butterflies, benefited from the hot weather in April and May.
“In contrast most summer-flying species struggled to survive in the cold and damp. Autumn brought a reprieve for our beleaguered butterflies and moths, with many native species able to extend their flight periods or squeeze in an extra brood, as well as the arrival of marvellous migrant moths from overseas.”
http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/article/9/272/butterflies_bamboozled_by_2011s_weird_weather.html
The record-breaking weather of 2011 bamboozled our butterflies and moths with many species appearing much earlier and later than in a typical year.
The hot, dry spring combined with the second warmest autumn on record saw butterflies on the wing from early March to mid-December.
Threatened species such as the Pearl bordered Fritillary and Grizzled Skipper benefitted from extended flight periods by emerging weeks ahead of their normal dates as spring temperatures soared.
The endangered Black Hairstreak typically emerges in June but was seen in May - the earliest emergence on record, and the Lulworth Skipper, which is restricted to Southern Dorset, was also on the wing seven weeks earlier than normal.
The balmy conditions of September and October saw a huge influx of migrant moths from Southern Europe.
The spectacular Humming-bird Hawk-moth is thought to have enjoyed its best ever year in the UK with more than 9,000 records sent to Butterfly Conservation, beating the previous 2006 high of 6,500.
Unseasonably warm winter weather has seen Red Admirals still on the wing in the run up to Christmas while some spring moths have emerged months ahead of schedule.
It was hoped that the warm spring would produce a bumper butterfly summer, but Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count revealed that the number of common species were down byaround 11% as they struggled in the coldest summer for 18 years.
But the effects of the record-breaking spring were still felt in some places.
Several single-brooded species were recorded much later than normal – a rare Marsh Fritillary being seen in mid-September, almost eight weeks after the butterfly should have disappeared for the year.
The second warmest autumn on record saw a huge influx of migrant moths from Southern Europe with exotic species such as the Crimson Speckled and Vestal moths recorded into October.
The UK recorded the largest number of rare Flame Brocades for 130 years, with a colony discovered at a secret location in Sussex.
And the unusual sightings are continuing well into December. Red Admirals are still regularly being seen and the unseasonably warm winter has prompted some species to hatch before Christmas, weeks ahead of schedule.
Spring Usher moths together with Hebrew Character and Common Quaker have been reported regularly since November - months earlier than they are supposed to appear.
Butterfly Conservation Surveys Manager Richard Fox said: “The weather is a matter of life and death for butterflies and moths, and 2011 has been a year of extremes.
“It’s too soon to tell exactly how the UK’s butterflies and moths have fared but the signs are that spring species, including many threatened butterflies, benefited from the hot weather in April and May.
“In contrast most summer-flying species struggled to survive in the cold and damp. Autumn brought a reprieve for our beleaguered butterflies and moths, with many native species able to extend their flight periods or squeeze in an extra brood, as well as the arrival of marvellous migrant moths from overseas.”
http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/article/9/272/butterflies_bamboozled_by_2011s_weird_weather.html
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
New Butterfly Species ID'ed by DNA
New research into the particulars of butterfly DNA has unmasked as many as nine new butterfly species previously lumped together with known butterfly species.
The interloping butterflies, all found in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, have long remained incognito in the collection of El Colegio de la Frontera Sur-Chetumal (ECOSUR), a research center in Mexico. They are known as "cryptic species," because, although their markings and body types are nearly identical to previously identified butterfly species, their genes tell a different story.
"We expect all nine cryptic species will be new to science," said lead scientist Carmen Pozo, in an email.
The ECOSUR team used a technique known as DNA barcoding for their research, which is published online in the journal PLoS ONE.
By looking at the same stretch of DNA in 857 butterfly specimens in the institution's collection, the technique allowed the researchers to root out genetic differences large enough to set one species apart from another and compare the genetic sequences with a large database of known species.
In addition to identifying nine butterfly species that are likely new to science, the genetic study allowed scientists to sort 71 caterpillar specimens into 16 different species and match them with their adult counterparts — a difficult task when relying on appearance alone, since there's notoriously little resemblance between a caterpillar and its more elegant, fully grown form.
Pozo also said that following the life cycle of each species in the field is time-consuming and expensive. "Barcoding helps link the adults with caterpillars of each species in an easy, quick, cheap and accurate way," she told OurAmazingPlanet.
The researchers noted that having the ability to quickly identify which caterpillar turns into which butterfly could aid conservation efforts for threatened species and allow crucial caterpillar habitat to be identified and conserved.
The researchers also found four butterfly specimens in the collection that were incorrectly labeled as one species when, in fact, their DNA revealed they belonged to a different species altogether. Two of the newly-labeled butterflies represent new records for both the region and the country as a whole.
One of the specimens, Adelpha iphiclus, belongs to a species that has never before been seen in the Yucatan Peninsula. Another, Taygetis lache, has never before been found in all of Mexico.
All of the specimens studied belong to more than 100 different species in the Nymphalidae family, which encompasses about one-third of the 160,000 known butterfly and moth species worldwide.
The scientists noted that the revelation of the mislabeled species and the nine entirely new butterfly species adds to the evidence that many butterfly species around the world await discovery.
"This is exciting, because we are discovering new species in a well-known butterfly family," Pozo said, "which means we have more biodiversity than we thought." And yet, she said, the excitement that comes with new discovery is tempered by the fact that habitat loss is threatening several of the species.
This story was provided by OurAmazingPlanet, a sister site to LivScience. Follow OurAmazingPlanet for the latest in Earth science and exploration news on Twitter @OAPlanet and on Facebook.
http://www.livescience.com/17196-butterfly-species-uncovered-dna-barcoding.html
The interloping butterflies, all found in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, have long remained incognito in the collection of El Colegio de la Frontera Sur-Chetumal (ECOSUR), a research center in Mexico. They are known as "cryptic species," because, although their markings and body types are nearly identical to previously identified butterfly species, their genes tell a different story.
"We expect all nine cryptic species will be new to science," said lead scientist Carmen Pozo, in an email.
The ECOSUR team used a technique known as DNA barcoding for their research, which is published online in the journal PLoS ONE.
By looking at the same stretch of DNA in 857 butterfly specimens in the institution's collection, the technique allowed the researchers to root out genetic differences large enough to set one species apart from another and compare the genetic sequences with a large database of known species.
In addition to identifying nine butterfly species that are likely new to science, the genetic study allowed scientists to sort 71 caterpillar specimens into 16 different species and match them with their adult counterparts — a difficult task when relying on appearance alone, since there's notoriously little resemblance between a caterpillar and its more elegant, fully grown form.
Pozo also said that following the life cycle of each species in the field is time-consuming and expensive. "Barcoding helps link the adults with caterpillars of each species in an easy, quick, cheap and accurate way," she told OurAmazingPlanet.
The researchers noted that having the ability to quickly identify which caterpillar turns into which butterfly could aid conservation efforts for threatened species and allow crucial caterpillar habitat to be identified and conserved.
The researchers also found four butterfly specimens in the collection that were incorrectly labeled as one species when, in fact, their DNA revealed they belonged to a different species altogether. Two of the newly-labeled butterflies represent new records for both the region and the country as a whole.
One of the specimens, Adelpha iphiclus, belongs to a species that has never before been seen in the Yucatan Peninsula. Another, Taygetis lache, has never before been found in all of Mexico.
All of the specimens studied belong to more than 100 different species in the Nymphalidae family, which encompasses about one-third of the 160,000 known butterfly and moth species worldwide.
The scientists noted that the revelation of the mislabeled species and the nine entirely new butterfly species adds to the evidence that many butterfly species around the world await discovery.
"This is exciting, because we are discovering new species in a well-known butterfly family," Pozo said, "which means we have more biodiversity than we thought." And yet, she said, the excitement that comes with new discovery is tempered by the fact that habitat loss is threatening several of the species.
This story was provided by OurAmazingPlanet, a sister site to LivScience. Follow OurAmazingPlanet for the latest in Earth science and exploration news on Twitter @OAPlanet and on Facebook.
http://www.livescience.com/17196-butterfly-species-uncovered-dna-barcoding.html
Monday, November 28, 2011
Rare butterfly sighted in State
GUWAHATI, Nov 26 – Branded Yeoman butterfly, known as Algia fasciata (earlier Paduca fasciata) to the scientists, which is not known to have been found in the North Eastern part of India before, was sighted at Kaliabor in Nagaon district by a Gauhati University (GU) research scholar Prarthana Mudai recently.
This development has proved the authenticity of the statement made by Isaac Kehimkar, the General Manager of the Bombay Natural History Society that the NE region is the ultimate Mecca for a butterfly enthusiast, Prarthana said.
On the significance of her discovery, Prarthana, who is now also working as a project assistant in the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd’s Butterfly Valley, described it to be a path-breaking finding. This has underlined the need of serious work in the area of butterfly diversity of the NE region, recognised to be one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world, she said.
She said that the butterfly she had sighted was confirmed to be the Branded Yeoman by Nikhil Bhopale, Programme Officer of the Bombay Natural History Society recently. Prarthana had sighted the butterfly on April 13 last.
Referring to The Identification of Indian Butterflies (1932) in which WH Evans, one of the most distinguished entomologists, she said the presence of this butterfly was reported from Karens-South Burma, Andaman and Nicobar Island. The distribution of this species of butterfly is reported by various sources to be spread in South Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Indonesia, Taliabu Island and The Philippines. Its habitat is hill forests, Prarthana said.
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=nov2711/at092
This development has proved the authenticity of the statement made by Isaac Kehimkar, the General Manager of the Bombay Natural History Society that the NE region is the ultimate Mecca for a butterfly enthusiast, Prarthana said.
On the significance of her discovery, Prarthana, who is now also working as a project assistant in the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd’s Butterfly Valley, described it to be a path-breaking finding. This has underlined the need of serious work in the area of butterfly diversity of the NE region, recognised to be one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world, she said.
She said that the butterfly she had sighted was confirmed to be the Branded Yeoman by Nikhil Bhopale, Programme Officer of the Bombay Natural History Society recently. Prarthana had sighted the butterfly on April 13 last.
Referring to The Identification of Indian Butterflies (1932) in which WH Evans, one of the most distinguished entomologists, she said the presence of this butterfly was reported from Karens-South Burma, Andaman and Nicobar Island. The distribution of this species of butterfly is reported by various sources to be spread in South Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Indonesia, Taliabu Island and The Philippines. Its habitat is hill forests, Prarthana said.
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=nov2711/at092
Friday, November 25, 2011
New butterfly species identified in Yucatan peninsula
About 160,000 species of butterflies and moths are already known, but scientists believe that a similar number still remain undiscovered. Identification and characterization of these species can be complicated by the fact that each species has an immature caterpillar and a mature butterfly form, as well as the reliance on the physical appearance for classification.
Now, though, researchers report that a type of DNA analysis called "barcoding" may provide a powerful tool in this effort, according to a study published in the Nov. 16 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.
The researchers, led by Carmen Pozo of El Colegio de la Frontera Sur in Mexico, focused on the Yucatan peninsula population of a particular family of butterflies called Nymphalidae.
Approximately 570 species of Nymphalidae have been reported in Mexico, and 121 of these occur in the Yucatan peninsula. Using DNA barcoding, which uses the sequence of a standard short gene segment to provide information about biodiversity, they found evidence for several previously undiscovered, so-called "cryptic" species that now await characterization.
They also found four cases where specimen had been misidentified based on the appearance; these erroneous classifications were corrected based on the DNA, highlighting the potential utility of this method.
More information: Prado BR, Pozo C, Valdez-Moreno M, Hebert PDN (2011) Beyond the Colours: Discovering Hidden Diversity in the Nymphalidae of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico through DNA Barcoding. PLoS ONE 6(11): e27776
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-11-butterfly-species-yucatan-peninsula.html
Now, though, researchers report that a type of DNA analysis called "barcoding" may provide a powerful tool in this effort, according to a study published in the Nov. 16 issue of the online journal PLoS ONE.
The researchers, led by Carmen Pozo of El Colegio de la Frontera Sur in Mexico, focused on the Yucatan peninsula population of a particular family of butterflies called Nymphalidae.
Approximately 570 species of Nymphalidae have been reported in Mexico, and 121 of these occur in the Yucatan peninsula. Using DNA barcoding, which uses the sequence of a standard short gene segment to provide information about biodiversity, they found evidence for several previously undiscovered, so-called "cryptic" species that now await characterization.
They also found four cases where specimen had been misidentified based on the appearance; these erroneous classifications were corrected based on the DNA, highlighting the potential utility of this method.
More information: Prado BR, Pozo C, Valdez-Moreno M, Hebert PDN (2011) Beyond the Colours: Discovering Hidden Diversity in the Nymphalidae of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico through DNA Barcoding. PLoS ONE 6(11): e27776
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-11-butterfly-species-yucatan-peninsula.html
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Cold summer blamed for low Big Butterfly Count numbers
The coldest summer for 18 years has been blamed by conservationists for an 11% fall in butterflies seen during this year's Big Butterfly Count.
More than 34,000 people took part in the survey and recorded 322,000 butterflies and day-flying months.
The gatekeeper butterfly was seen the most, while numbers of common blue were down by 61% on last year's figures.
Butterfly Conservation said eastern Scotland was among the areas worst hit by cold and wet weather.
The charity had expected a bumper count after a warm and dry spring.
But temperatures dropped and there were prolonged spells of rain.
According to the Met Office, 2011 had coolest June across the UK since 2001, the coolest July since 2000 and the coolest August since 1993.
It said the season was the coolest since summer 1993 with only about 10 days when the temperature exceeded 25C widely.
Butterfly Conservation said insects' activity was impaired by low temperatures and heavy rain.
Moths and butterflies are unable to fly, feed, find mates or lay eggs during bad weather.
Richard Fox, Butterfly Conservation surveys manager said: "The fantastic response of the UK public to Big Butterfly Count 2011 has given us a detailed snapshot of how butterflies fared this summer. Twice as many counts were carried out this year as in 2010.
"Unfortunately, the results show that it was a poor summer for butterflies with many species showing declines compared to last year.
"The dismal summer weather, the coldest for 18 years, is undoubtedly to blame, although many butterflies have suffered long-term declines as a result of destruction of their habitats by human activities."
He added: "In bad summers, butterflies need all the help they can get from people to maintain their breeding areas."
The gatekeeper was the most commonly seen species this year, up three places from 2010, but numbers of butterfly were also down by 12%.
The survey also suggested that numbers of small tortoiseshell stabilised during 2011 after a severe decline.
Three times as many small tortoiseshells were recorded per count in Scotland than in England.
Red admirals enjoyed a "fantastic" summer with numbers up by 98%, Butterfly Conservation said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-14932544
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Darwin's Butterflies? Spectacular Species Radiation in the Caribbean Studied With 'DNA Barcoding'
ScienceDaily (Aug. 25, 2011) — In one of the first taxonomic revisions of Neotropical butterflies that utilizes 'DNA barcoding', Andrei Sourakov (University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History) and Evgeny Zakharov (University of Guelph, Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding at the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario) uncovered a spectacular degree of evolutionary divergence within the satyrine butterfly genus Calisto.
The study was published in the open-access journal Comparative Cytogenetics.
The Caribbean has a remarkable diversity of habitats and wildlife. More than 200 species of butterflies belonging to some 100 genera live on the islands, with most genera represented by a single species. Many species are endemic to the region, that is they do not occur anywhere else. This distinctive fauna apparently arose as a result of species immigrating from the mainland at some point during the islands' history, and later evolving mostly into island isolates.
The satyrine butterfly genus Calisto is the most notable of them, because it has the largest number of extant species compared to other butterfly genera found in the region. Until the present revision, Calisto had comprised 54 named taxa, which occupy an extremely diverse array of habitats, suggestive of adaptive radiation on the scale of other classic examples, such as the Galápagos or Darwin's finches.
The authors of the study applied a new set of molecular characters to clarify the classification and evolution of Calisto butterflies. The 'DNA barcoding' technique is based on the analysis of short, standardized gene region within mitochondrial DNA, and provides an efficient method for species identification. As a result, Calisto now contains 34 species and 17 subspecies and new data shed light on the general evolutionary history of the genus.
The discovered spectacular degree of DNA divergence suggests a diversification period of 4-8 million years. Species of Calisto that occur only in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Jamaica were found likely to have evolved from various Hispaniolan ancestors. The study found no support for previously advocated theories of evolution through geographic separation events due to plate tectonics. The evolutionary time-frame and the phylogenetic position of non-Hispaniolan taxa suggest that ancient dispersal events from Hispaniola to other islands and adaptive radiation within Hispaniola are likely responsible for the diversification within the genus Calisto.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110825102245.htm
The study was published in the open-access journal Comparative Cytogenetics.
The Caribbean has a remarkable diversity of habitats and wildlife. More than 200 species of butterflies belonging to some 100 genera live on the islands, with most genera represented by a single species. Many species are endemic to the region, that is they do not occur anywhere else. This distinctive fauna apparently arose as a result of species immigrating from the mainland at some point during the islands' history, and later evolving mostly into island isolates.
The satyrine butterfly genus Calisto is the most notable of them, because it has the largest number of extant species compared to other butterfly genera found in the region. Until the present revision, Calisto had comprised 54 named taxa, which occupy an extremely diverse array of habitats, suggestive of adaptive radiation on the scale of other classic examples, such as the Galápagos or Darwin's finches.
The authors of the study applied a new set of molecular characters to clarify the classification and evolution of Calisto butterflies. The 'DNA barcoding' technique is based on the analysis of short, standardized gene region within mitochondrial DNA, and provides an efficient method for species identification. As a result, Calisto now contains 34 species and 17 subspecies and new data shed light on the general evolutionary history of the genus.
The discovered spectacular degree of DNA divergence suggests a diversification period of 4-8 million years. Species of Calisto that occur only in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Jamaica were found likely to have evolved from various Hispaniolan ancestors. The study found no support for previously advocated theories of evolution through geographic separation events due to plate tectonics. The evolutionary time-frame and the phylogenetic position of non-Hispaniolan taxa suggest that ancient dispersal events from Hispaniola to other islands and adaptive radiation within Hispaniola are likely responsible for the diversification within the genus Calisto.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110825102245.htm
Monday, August 15, 2011
Brown Hairstreak butterfly recovering – Report your sightings
Flying start for Big Ash Bash August 2011. A survey of ash trees in east Worcestershire organised by West Midlands Butterfly Conservation has so far confirmed four new trees used by the nationally rare brown hairstreak butterfly.
Amongst the new trees is one on the Naunton Court Fields nature reserve owned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. The butterflies assemble around ash trees shortly after they've emerged and it's here that breeding takes place.
Mike Williams, Brown Hairstreak Champion for Butterfly Conservation, explained "While we know that ash trees form a very important role in the life of Brown hairstreaks so far we have identified relatively few of the trees involved.
Big Ash Bash
"The aim of the Big Ash Bash this year has been to try to fill this gap in our knowledge and we are delighted with our success in finding several new trees. Our volunteers have been making early morning visits to a number of ash trees in the hope of spotting this elusive butterfly.
Grafton Wood
"The stronghold for the butterfly in the entire Midlands region is Grafton Wood at nearby Grafton Flyford. Together with the Wildlife Trust, we've been working with local landowners and communities throughout the ancient Forest of Feckenham to improve habitats for the butterflies.
"Over the last 5 years we've seen both their population expand in numbers and in range. To discover that they've successfully colonised ash trees in Naunton Beauchamp as well as trees in Bradley Green to the north and Rous Lench to the south is absolutely brilliant news."
Brown Hairstreak habits and lifecycle
The butterflies are a national priority for conservation. They spend a lot of time in tree canopies and are often hard to spot. From late August female Brown hairstreaks will descend to hedgerows to lay their eggs on young blackthorn. The eggs remain on the blackthorn throughout the winter months and hatch in early May.
The caterpillars feed on the blackthorn leaves before descending to the ground to pupate. They emerge as butterflies in July to feed, mainly it is thought, on the honeydew secreted by aphids.
Hedgerows
James Hitchock, conservation officer for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, commented "This is really great news and proof that our joint efforts to help this species are working. Much of the work we do with other landowners is about advising on appropriate hedge management to help the butterflies survive and expand their range.
"We often take hedgerows for granted but they're essential corridors that can help wildlife move through our countryside. The butterflies have now been found now on eight of our nature reserves as well as many other sites in the area. This is a real conservation success story."
Report sightings
The two conservation organisations are hoping that members of the public can provide more information about the location of Brown hairstreak butterflies. They're asking people to get in touch if they think they've seen brown hairstreak butterflies congregating around ash trees.
The best time of day to see them is in the morning between about 7.30am and 9.30am. Anyone who thinks they've spotted them should contact Mike Williams on 07802 274552 or by email on mike@stagborough.fsnet.co.uk
Brown Hairstreak Day
The two charities organise an annual Brown Hairstreak Day at the end of August to look for the female butterflies who descend to lay their eggs. This year's event takes place on Sunday 4th September and anyone interested in taking part should contact John Tilt on 01386 792458.
To help Worcestershire Wildlife Trust protect our natural habitats and wildlife, visit www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk for information about their work and becoming a member. For more information about the work of Butterfly Conservation visit www.butterfly-conservation.org
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/brown-hairstreak011.html
Amongst the new trees is one on the Naunton Court Fields nature reserve owned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. The butterflies assemble around ash trees shortly after they've emerged and it's here that breeding takes place.
Mike Williams, Brown Hairstreak Champion for Butterfly Conservation, explained "While we know that ash trees form a very important role in the life of Brown hairstreaks so far we have identified relatively few of the trees involved.
Big Ash Bash
"The aim of the Big Ash Bash this year has been to try to fill this gap in our knowledge and we are delighted with our success in finding several new trees. Our volunteers have been making early morning visits to a number of ash trees in the hope of spotting this elusive butterfly.
Grafton Wood
"The stronghold for the butterfly in the entire Midlands region is Grafton Wood at nearby Grafton Flyford. Together with the Wildlife Trust, we've been working with local landowners and communities throughout the ancient Forest of Feckenham to improve habitats for the butterflies.
"Over the last 5 years we've seen both their population expand in numbers and in range. To discover that they've successfully colonised ash trees in Naunton Beauchamp as well as trees in Bradley Green to the north and Rous Lench to the south is absolutely brilliant news."
Brown Hairstreak habits and lifecycle
The butterflies are a national priority for conservation. They spend a lot of time in tree canopies and are often hard to spot. From late August female Brown hairstreaks will descend to hedgerows to lay their eggs on young blackthorn. The eggs remain on the blackthorn throughout the winter months and hatch in early May.
The caterpillars feed on the blackthorn leaves before descending to the ground to pupate. They emerge as butterflies in July to feed, mainly it is thought, on the honeydew secreted by aphids.
Hedgerows
James Hitchock, conservation officer for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, commented "This is really great news and proof that our joint efforts to help this species are working. Much of the work we do with other landowners is about advising on appropriate hedge management to help the butterflies survive and expand their range.
"We often take hedgerows for granted but they're essential corridors that can help wildlife move through our countryside. The butterflies have now been found now on eight of our nature reserves as well as many other sites in the area. This is a real conservation success story."
Report sightings
The two conservation organisations are hoping that members of the public can provide more information about the location of Brown hairstreak butterflies. They're asking people to get in touch if they think they've seen brown hairstreak butterflies congregating around ash trees.
The best time of day to see them is in the morning between about 7.30am and 9.30am. Anyone who thinks they've spotted them should contact Mike Williams on 07802 274552 or by email on mike@stagborough.fsnet.co.uk
Brown Hairstreak Day
The two charities organise an annual Brown Hairstreak Day at the end of August to look for the female butterflies who descend to lay their eggs. This year's event takes place on Sunday 4th September and anyone interested in taking part should contact John Tilt on 01386 792458.
To help Worcestershire Wildlife Trust protect our natural habitats and wildlife, visit www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk for information about their work and becoming a member. For more information about the work of Butterfly Conservation visit www.butterfly-conservation.org
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/brown-hairstreak011.html
Friday, July 15, 2011
Conservationists urge public to count butterflies
Butterflies are seen as a key indicator of the health of the countryside and researchers want to find out how this year's hot, dry spring has affected their population.
Richard Westcott went to meet Butterfly Conservation's Richard Fox, who explained exactly how people can help them keep track of Britain's butterflies.
Get involved in the butterfly count: http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14133537
Richard Westcott went to meet Butterfly Conservation's Richard Fox, who explained exactly how people can help them keep track of Britain's butterflies.
Get involved in the butterfly count: http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14133537
Sunday, July 10, 2011
‘Barcoding blitz’ on Australia’s butterflies
About 65 per cent of Australia's 10,000 known species
DATABASE: The blue-banded eggfly - one of Australia's 10,000 known butterflies and moths
July 2011: In just 10 weeks a team of Canadian researchers has succeeded in 'barcoding' 28,000 moth and butterfly specimens - or about 65 per cent of Australia's 10,000 known species - held at CSIRO's Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC) in Canberra.
Conducted in collaboration with the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) as part of the International Barcode of Life (IBoL), the project involved extracting DNA from each specimen to record its unique genetic code and entering the results, together with an image and other details, to the ALA and ANIC databases. ANIC is the first national collection to integrate the new barcoding approach for a major group of insects.
The Collection's Director, Dr John La Salle, said DNA barcoding is a kind of 'genetic fingerprinting' which has proven useful in identifying different forms of life.
Barcoding useful for biosecurity
'Barcoding will be critically important to our goal of being able to rapidly identify most organisms on the planet within the next decade or so,' Dr La Salle said. 'This will produce strong benefits for entomology, life sciences and biosecurity.'
He said barcoding has already achieved some interesting successes in, for example, Europe and the US where it is being used to investigate food fraud, such as selling one type of fish as another type of fish.
According to Atlas of Living Australia Director, Donald Hobern, many moths and butterflies are of economic and/or environmental importance to Australia.
'Using barcoding for rapid species identification will transform how we handle monitoring of biodiversity across Australia and how we respond to potential pest arrivals at Australian borders,' Mr Hobern said. 'Barcoding for rapid species identification is a powerful new tool which will also assist taxonomists in recognising and describing new species.'
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/barcode-butterflies.html#cr
July 2011: In just 10 weeks a team of Canadian researchers has succeeded in 'barcoding' 28,000 moth and butterfly specimens - or about 65 per cent of Australia's 10,000 known species - held at CSIRO's Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC) in Canberra.
Conducted in collaboration with the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) as part of the International Barcode of Life (IBoL), the project involved extracting DNA from each specimen to record its unique genetic code and entering the results, together with an image and other details, to the ALA and ANIC databases. ANIC is the first national collection to integrate the new barcoding approach for a major group of insects.
The Collection's Director, Dr John La Salle, said DNA barcoding is a kind of 'genetic fingerprinting' which has proven useful in identifying different forms of life.
Barcoding useful for biosecurity
'Barcoding will be critically important to our goal of being able to rapidly identify most organisms on the planet within the next decade or so,' Dr La Salle said. 'This will produce strong benefits for entomology, life sciences and biosecurity.'
He said barcoding has already achieved some interesting successes in, for example, Europe and the US where it is being used to investigate food fraud, such as selling one type of fish as another type of fish.
According to Atlas of Living Australia Director, Donald Hobern, many moths and butterflies are of economic and/or environmental importance to Australia.
'Using barcoding for rapid species identification will transform how we handle monitoring of biodiversity across Australia and how we respond to potential pest arrivals at Australian borders,' Mr Hobern said. 'Barcoding for rapid species identification is a powerful new tool which will also assist taxonomists in recognising and describing new species.'
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/barcode-butterflies.html#cr
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Dingy skipper puts in rare appearance in Worcestershire woodland
First time a dingy skipper has been recorded in Monkwood area since 1995
June 2011: A locally scarce butterfly has been spotted at a woodland nature reserve on the outskirts of Worcester.
Numbers of dingy skippers have increased in parts of Worcestershire, such the Wyre Forest, in recent years. This is the first time it's been seen in the Monkwood area for many years.
James Hitchcock, conservation officer for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, said: ‘Dingy skippers used to be found on Monkwood Green and in our adjacent woodland but we haven't recorded them there since 1995.
‘With the warm springs of the past few years, we have seen dingy skippers flying in good numbers elsewhere in the county and there have been promising signs of natural spread and recolonisation.'
Butterfly has been suffering serious national decline
The butterfly has suffered serious decline nationally and is a priority species for conservation. It is found in only a handful of sites in Worcestershire. This sighting and their increased numbers around the county bodes well for their future.
James added: ‘Monkwood is jointly owned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust and Butterfly Conservation. We've spent the last couple of years undertaking vital work to improve the woodland habitat for butterflies.
‘It's great to see that our efforts are paying off. Last year we discovered nine previously unrecorded micro-moths in the woodland.
‘This year has also seen good numbers of the nationally rare leaf-rolling weevils in the woodland. They're only known to live in about ten woodlands in England and three of those are in Worcestershire.'
![]()
Dingy skippers are small, brown and grey butterflies. They're often seen basking in the sunshine on bare ground with their wings spread out. In dull weather they perch on the top of dead flowers with curved wings. They can be confused with other butterflies and moths such as the grizzled skipper.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/dingy-skipper2001.html
June 2011: A locally scarce butterfly has been spotted at a woodland nature reserve on the outskirts of Worcester.
Numbers of dingy skippers have increased in parts of Worcestershire, such the Wyre Forest, in recent years. This is the first time it's been seen in the Monkwood area for many years.
James Hitchcock, conservation officer for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, said: ‘Dingy skippers used to be found on Monkwood Green and in our adjacent woodland but we haven't recorded them there since 1995.
‘With the warm springs of the past few years, we have seen dingy skippers flying in good numbers elsewhere in the county and there have been promising signs of natural spread and recolonisation.'
Butterfly has been suffering serious national decline
The butterfly has suffered serious decline nationally and is a priority species for conservation. It is found in only a handful of sites in Worcestershire. This sighting and their increased numbers around the county bodes well for their future.
James added: ‘Monkwood is jointly owned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust and Butterfly Conservation. We've spent the last couple of years undertaking vital work to improve the woodland habitat for butterflies.
‘It's great to see that our efforts are paying off. Last year we discovered nine previously unrecorded micro-moths in the woodland.
‘This year has also seen good numbers of the nationally rare leaf-rolling weevils in the woodland. They're only known to live in about ten woodlands in England and three of those are in Worcestershire.'
Dingy skippers are small, brown and grey butterflies. They're often seen basking in the sunshine on bare ground with their wings spread out. In dull weather they perch on the top of dead flowers with curved wings. They can be confused with other butterflies and moths such as the grizzled skipper.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/dingy-skipper2001.html
Monday, May 30, 2011
Butterflies close wings to avoid sex
30 May 2011 Last updated at 00:56
Female copper butterflies mate once in their life 
Without their wing patterns on show, the butterflies are far less visible to potential mates
Female copper butterflies mate once in their life In the fleeting existence of a female small copper butterfly, sex is a one-time affair.
And scientists in Japan have observed that the butterflies have a simple way to avoid the unwanted attention of persistent males; they close their wings.
By folding away their bright, striking wing patterns, the females make themselves less visible to males.
The scientists describe their findings in the journal Ethology.
Lead researcher and butterfly lover Jun-Ya Ide from the Kurume Institute of Technology in Fukuoka, had noticed that female small copper butterflies often closed their wings when other copper butterflies flew very close to them.
"I also found that she closed the wings at a lower rate when other butterfly species flew nearby," said Dr Ide. And he set about trying to find out why this might be.
Without their wing patterns on show, the butterflies are far less visible to potential mates "Persistent mating attempts" from males can harm the delicate females, so Dr Ide thought the females might close their wings as an harassment avoidance strategy.
"He used a model of a male copper butterfly to trigger a reaction in the females.
"When I brought the model close to a mated female, she often closed the wings," he told BBC Nature.
Virgin females, on the other hand, left their wings open.
"So, I concluded that, since females don't need more copulations, they close their wings to conceal themselves," Dr Ide said.
Whereas virgin females that want to mate "keep their wings open to be conspicuous".
"The wing closing behaviour has evolved," he said, "to avoid sexual harassment."
Monday, March 7, 2011
Nonfiction: Nabokov Theory on Butterfly Evolution Is Vindicated
By CARL ZIMMER
Published: January 25, 2011
Vladimir Nabokov may be known to most people as the author of classic novels like “Lolita” and “Pale Fire.” But even as he was writing those books, Nabokov had a parallel existence as a self-taught expert on butterflies.
He was the curator of lepidoptera at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, and he collected the insects across the United States. He published detailed descriptions of hundreds of species. And in a speculative moment in 1945, he came up with a sweeping hypothesis for the evolution of the butterflies he studied, a group known as the Polyommatus blues. He envisioned them coming to the New World from Asia over millions of years in a series of waves.
Few professional lepidopterists took these ideas seriously during Nabokov’s lifetime. But in the years since his death in 1977, his scientific reputation has grown. And over the past 10 years, a team of scientists has been applying gene-sequencing technology to his hypothesis about how Polyommatus blues evolved. Last week in The Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, they reported that Nabokov was absolutely right.
“It’s really quite a marvel,” said Naomi Pierce of Harvard, a co-author of the paper.
Nabokov inherited his passion for butterflies from his parents. When his father was imprisoned by the Russian authorities for his political activities, the 8-year-old Vladimir brought a butterfly to his cell as a gift. As a teenager, Nabokov went on butterfly-hunting expeditions and carefully described the specimens he caught, imitating the scientific journals he read in his spare time. Had it not been for the Russian Revolution, which forced his family into exile in 1919, Nabokov said that he might have become a full-time lepidopterist.
In his European exile, Nabokov visited butterfly collections in museums. He used the proceeds of his second novel, “King, Queen, Knave,” to finance an expedition to the Pyrenees, where he and his wife, Vera, netted more than a hundred species. The rise of the Nazis drove Nabokov into exile once more in 1940, this time to the United States. It was there that Nabokov found his greatest fame as a novelist. It was also there that he delved deepest into the science of butterflies.
Nabokov spent much of the 1940s dissecting a confusing group of species called Polyommatus blues. He developed forward-thinking ways to classifying the butterflies, based on differences in their genitalia. He argued that what were thought to be closely related species were actually only distantly related.
At the end of a 1945 paper on the group, he mused on how they had evolved. He speculated that they originated in Asia, moved over the Bering Strait and headed south all the way to Chile.
Allowing himself a few literary flourishes, Nabokov invited his readers to imagine “a modern taxonomist straddling a Wellsian time machine.” Going back millions of years, he would end up at a time when only Asian forms of the butterflies existed. Then, moving forward again, the taxonomist would see five waves of butterflies arriving in the New World.
Nabokov conceded that the thought of butterflies making a trip from Siberia to Alaska and then all the way down into South America might sound far-fetched. But it made more sense to him than an unknown land bridge spanning the Pacific. “I find it easier to give a friendly little push to some of the forms and hang my distributional horseshoes on the nail of Nome rather than postulate transoceanic land-bridges in other parts of the world,” he wrote.
When “Lolita” made Nabokov a star in 1958, journalists were delighted to discover his hidden life as a butterfly expert. A famous photograph of Nabokov that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post when he was 66 is from a butterfly’s perspective. The looming Russian author swings a net with rapt concentration. But despite the fact that he was the best-known butterfly expert of his day and a Harvard museum curator, other lepidopterists considered Nabokov a dutiful but undistinguished researcher. He could describe details well, they granted, but did not produce scientifically important ideas.
Nabokov’s reputation as a scientist languished until the 1990s. Kurt Johnson, an entomologist then at the American Museum of Natural History, examined the genitals of the blues and was surprised at their diversity. Searching the literature for help, he came across Nabokov’s work. As he later described in the 2000 book “Nabokov’s Blues,” written with Steve Coates, Dr. Johnson set about reviving Nabokov’s classification. Working with Zsolt Balint of the Hungarian Museum of Natural History and Dubi Benyamini, an Israeli collector, he collected new blues and carefully examined them. In the end, they decided Nabokov was right in his classification. Along the way, they even named some new species in his honor, like Nabokovia cuzquenha.
More recently, scientists have begun applying new DNA sequencing techniques to Nabokov’s work. In 1944, for example, Nabokov published the first description of the Karner blue butterfly, a rare form that lives in the northeastern United States. Judging from its color and choice of plants to eat, Nabokov came to believe that it was a distinct species. But when scientists began to analyze its genes, they decided it was just part of an existing species, the Melissa blue (Lycaeides melissa).
Chris Nice of Texas State University and his colleagues recently used next-generation sequencing to get a far more detailed look at the DNA of Karner blues and their relatives. They found that Karner blues and Melissa blues actually trade very few genes. In their December 2010 report in Biology Letters, they declare that Karner blues are a separate species after all — and Nabokov gets credit for recognizing it.
Dr. Pierce, who became a Harvard biology professor and curator of lepidoptera in 1990, began looking closely at Nabokov’s work while preparing an exhibit to celebrate his 100th birthday in 1999. Reading “Nabokov’s Blues,” she was captivated by his idea of butterflies coming from Asia. “It was an amazing, bold hypothesis,” she said. “And I thought, ‘Oh, my God, we could test this.’ ”
To do so, she would need to reconstruct the evolutionary tree of blues and estimate when the branches split. It would have been impossible for Nabokov to do such a study on the anatomy of butterflies alone. Dr. Pierce would need their DNA, which could provide more detail about their evolutionary history. While she had already gathered some butterfly sequences, she would need many more.
Dr. Pierce began to collaborate with Dr. Johnson and his colleagues, who arranged for specimens to be sent to her lab and offered their hard-won knowledge of the diversity of the blues. Dr. Pierce’s postdoctoral researcher, Roger Vila, traveled to the Andes to collect more butterflies and then sequenced their DNA back at Harvard.
Dr. Pierce and her colleagues used a computer to calculate the most likely relationships among the butterflies. They also compared the number of mutations each species had acquired to determine how long ago they had diverged from one another.
There were several plausible hypotheses for how the butterflies might have evolved. They might have evolved in the Amazon, as the rising Andes fragments their populations. If that were true, the species would be closely related to one another.
But that is not what Dr. Pierce and her colleagues found. Instead, they found that the New World species shared a common ancestor that lived about 10 million years ago. But many New World species were more closely related to Old World butterflies than to their neighbors. Dr. Pierce and her colleagues concluded that five waves of butterflies came from Asia to the New World — just as Nabokov had speculated.
“By God, he got every one right,” Dr. Pierce said. “I couldn’t get over it — I was blown away.”
Dr. Pierce and her colleagues also investigated Nabokov’s idea that the butterflies had come over the Bering Strait. The land surrounding the strait was relatively warm 10 million years ago, and has been chilling steadily ever since. Dr. Pierce and her colleagues found that the first lineage of Polyommatus blues that made the journey could survive a temperature range that matched the Bering climate of 10 million years ago. The lineages that came later are more cold-hardy, each with a temperature range matching the falling temperatures.
Nabokov’s taxonomic horseshoes turn out to belong in Nome after all.
“What a great paper,” said James Mallet, an expert on butterfly evolution at University College London. “It’s a fitting tribute to the great man to see that the most modern methods that technology can deliver now largely support his systematic arrangement.”
Dr. Pierce says she believes Nabokov would have been greatly pleased to be so vindicated, and points to one of his most famous poems, “On Discovering a Butterfly.” The 1943 poem begins:
I found it and I named it, being versed
in taxonomic Latin; thus became
godfather to an insect and its first
describer — and I want no other fame.
“He felt that his scientific work was standing for all time, and that he was just a player in a much bigger enterprise,” Dr. Pierce said. “He was not known as a scientist, but this certainly indicates to me that he knew what it’s all about.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/science/01butterfly.html?_r=1
(Submitted by Ben Lovegrove)
Published: January 25, 2011
Vladimir Nabokov may be known to most people as the author of classic novels like “Lolita” and “Pale Fire.” But even as he was writing those books, Nabokov had a parallel existence as a self-taught expert on butterflies.
He was the curator of lepidoptera at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, and he collected the insects across the United States. He published detailed descriptions of hundreds of species. And in a speculative moment in 1945, he came up with a sweeping hypothesis for the evolution of the butterflies he studied, a group known as the Polyommatus blues. He envisioned them coming to the New World from Asia over millions of years in a series of waves.
Few professional lepidopterists took these ideas seriously during Nabokov’s lifetime. But in the years since his death in 1977, his scientific reputation has grown. And over the past 10 years, a team of scientists has been applying gene-sequencing technology to his hypothesis about how Polyommatus blues evolved. Last week in The Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, they reported that Nabokov was absolutely right.
“It’s really quite a marvel,” said Naomi Pierce of Harvard, a co-author of the paper.
Nabokov inherited his passion for butterflies from his parents. When his father was imprisoned by the Russian authorities for his political activities, the 8-year-old Vladimir brought a butterfly to his cell as a gift. As a teenager, Nabokov went on butterfly-hunting expeditions and carefully described the specimens he caught, imitating the scientific journals he read in his spare time. Had it not been for the Russian Revolution, which forced his family into exile in 1919, Nabokov said that he might have become a full-time lepidopterist.
In his European exile, Nabokov visited butterfly collections in museums. He used the proceeds of his second novel, “King, Queen, Knave,” to finance an expedition to the Pyrenees, where he and his wife, Vera, netted more than a hundred species. The rise of the Nazis drove Nabokov into exile once more in 1940, this time to the United States. It was there that Nabokov found his greatest fame as a novelist. It was also there that he delved deepest into the science of butterflies.
Nabokov spent much of the 1940s dissecting a confusing group of species called Polyommatus blues. He developed forward-thinking ways to classifying the butterflies, based on differences in their genitalia. He argued that what were thought to be closely related species were actually only distantly related.
At the end of a 1945 paper on the group, he mused on how they had evolved. He speculated that they originated in Asia, moved over the Bering Strait and headed south all the way to Chile.
Allowing himself a few literary flourishes, Nabokov invited his readers to imagine “a modern taxonomist straddling a Wellsian time machine.” Going back millions of years, he would end up at a time when only Asian forms of the butterflies existed. Then, moving forward again, the taxonomist would see five waves of butterflies arriving in the New World.
Nabokov conceded that the thought of butterflies making a trip from Siberia to Alaska and then all the way down into South America might sound far-fetched. But it made more sense to him than an unknown land bridge spanning the Pacific. “I find it easier to give a friendly little push to some of the forms and hang my distributional horseshoes on the nail of Nome rather than postulate transoceanic land-bridges in other parts of the world,” he wrote.
When “Lolita” made Nabokov a star in 1958, journalists were delighted to discover his hidden life as a butterfly expert. A famous photograph of Nabokov that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post when he was 66 is from a butterfly’s perspective. The looming Russian author swings a net with rapt concentration. But despite the fact that he was the best-known butterfly expert of his day and a Harvard museum curator, other lepidopterists considered Nabokov a dutiful but undistinguished researcher. He could describe details well, they granted, but did not produce scientifically important ideas.
Nabokov’s reputation as a scientist languished until the 1990s. Kurt Johnson, an entomologist then at the American Museum of Natural History, examined the genitals of the blues and was surprised at their diversity. Searching the literature for help, he came across Nabokov’s work. As he later described in the 2000 book “Nabokov’s Blues,” written with Steve Coates, Dr. Johnson set about reviving Nabokov’s classification. Working with Zsolt Balint of the Hungarian Museum of Natural History and Dubi Benyamini, an Israeli collector, he collected new blues and carefully examined them. In the end, they decided Nabokov was right in his classification. Along the way, they even named some new species in his honor, like Nabokovia cuzquenha.
More recently, scientists have begun applying new DNA sequencing techniques to Nabokov’s work. In 1944, for example, Nabokov published the first description of the Karner blue butterfly, a rare form that lives in the northeastern United States. Judging from its color and choice of plants to eat, Nabokov came to believe that it was a distinct species. But when scientists began to analyze its genes, they decided it was just part of an existing species, the Melissa blue (Lycaeides melissa).
Chris Nice of Texas State University and his colleagues recently used next-generation sequencing to get a far more detailed look at the DNA of Karner blues and their relatives. They found that Karner blues and Melissa blues actually trade very few genes. In their December 2010 report in Biology Letters, they declare that Karner blues are a separate species after all — and Nabokov gets credit for recognizing it.
Dr. Pierce, who became a Harvard biology professor and curator of lepidoptera in 1990, began looking closely at Nabokov’s work while preparing an exhibit to celebrate his 100th birthday in 1999. Reading “Nabokov’s Blues,” she was captivated by his idea of butterflies coming from Asia. “It was an amazing, bold hypothesis,” she said. “And I thought, ‘Oh, my God, we could test this.’ ”
To do so, she would need to reconstruct the evolutionary tree of blues and estimate when the branches split. It would have been impossible for Nabokov to do such a study on the anatomy of butterflies alone. Dr. Pierce would need their DNA, which could provide more detail about their evolutionary history. While she had already gathered some butterfly sequences, she would need many more.
Dr. Pierce began to collaborate with Dr. Johnson and his colleagues, who arranged for specimens to be sent to her lab and offered their hard-won knowledge of the diversity of the blues. Dr. Pierce’s postdoctoral researcher, Roger Vila, traveled to the Andes to collect more butterflies and then sequenced their DNA back at Harvard.
Dr. Pierce and her colleagues used a computer to calculate the most likely relationships among the butterflies. They also compared the number of mutations each species had acquired to determine how long ago they had diverged from one another.
There were several plausible hypotheses for how the butterflies might have evolved. They might have evolved in the Amazon, as the rising Andes fragments their populations. If that were true, the species would be closely related to one another.
But that is not what Dr. Pierce and her colleagues found. Instead, they found that the New World species shared a common ancestor that lived about 10 million years ago. But many New World species were more closely related to Old World butterflies than to their neighbors. Dr. Pierce and her colleagues concluded that five waves of butterflies came from Asia to the New World — just as Nabokov had speculated.
“By God, he got every one right,” Dr. Pierce said. “I couldn’t get over it — I was blown away.”
Dr. Pierce and her colleagues also investigated Nabokov’s idea that the butterflies had come over the Bering Strait. The land surrounding the strait was relatively warm 10 million years ago, and has been chilling steadily ever since. Dr. Pierce and her colleagues found that the first lineage of Polyommatus blues that made the journey could survive a temperature range that matched the Bering climate of 10 million years ago. The lineages that came later are more cold-hardy, each with a temperature range matching the falling temperatures.
Nabokov’s taxonomic horseshoes turn out to belong in Nome after all.
“What a great paper,” said James Mallet, an expert on butterfly evolution at University College London. “It’s a fitting tribute to the great man to see that the most modern methods that technology can deliver now largely support his systematic arrangement.”
Dr. Pierce says she believes Nabokov would have been greatly pleased to be so vindicated, and points to one of his most famous poems, “On Discovering a Butterfly.” The 1943 poem begins:
I found it and I named it, being versed
in taxonomic Latin; thus became
godfather to an insect and its first
describer — and I want no other fame.
“He felt that his scientific work was standing for all time, and that he was just a player in a much bigger enterprise,” Dr. Pierce said. “He was not known as a scientist, but this certainly indicates to me that he knew what it’s all about.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/01/science/01butterfly.html?_r=1
(Submitted by Ben Lovegrove)
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Rare butterfly 'at risk' from Sutton playground plans
7:30am Friday 4th February 2011
By Matt Watts
It measures only 16mm in length but this tiny butterfly may scupper plans to build a children’s playground on a nature reserve.
Sutton councillors and parents want to put a playground in the Devonshire Avenue Local Nature Reserve in Sutton.
But environmental campaigners warned it would be a serious risk to one of the few habitats in London for one of the UK’s rarest butterflies – the small blue butterfly – and want the plans scrapped.
Joanne Porter, chairman of the Sutton Nature Conservation Volunteers, said: “It’s very concerning because it’s one of the most important habitats for one of the UK’s rarest butterflies.”
She said she understood the need for play facilities in the area but wanted to continue to work with the council to find a solution to the issue.
Her worries were backed by Sutton Council environmental officers, who in a report to a council committee said the playground should be “a last resort” because “there is a risk the habitat could deteriorate to the extent that the species may be lost”.
But chairman of the Sutton South, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee Councillor Tony Shields said the play facility was essential because there was no playground anywhere else in Sutton South ward, in an area where 50 per cent of properties did not have a back garden.
He said: “We all want to protect wildlife and we believe putting one piece of equipment in the habitat will not be a problem and will bring more people to enjoy the nature reserve.”
He said the plans also had the backing of nearby Devonshire Primary School and parents of pupils there.
At a committee meeting on Thursday it voted to pursue plans for the play equipment, despite the objections.
Sutton also has another habitat for the blue butterfly.
The Avenue Primary School Nature Garden, is also said to contain a small but unstable population of the species.
FACT FILE: Small blue butterly - Cupido minimus
By Matt Watts
It measures only 16mm in length but this tiny butterfly may scupper plans to build a children’s playground on a nature reserve.
Sutton councillors and parents want to put a playground in the Devonshire Avenue Local Nature Reserve in Sutton.
But environmental campaigners warned it would be a serious risk to one of the few habitats in London for one of the UK’s rarest butterflies – the small blue butterfly – and want the plans scrapped.
Joanne Porter, chairman of the Sutton Nature Conservation Volunteers, said: “It’s very concerning because it’s one of the most important habitats for one of the UK’s rarest butterflies.”
She said she understood the need for play facilities in the area but wanted to continue to work with the council to find a solution to the issue.
Her worries were backed by Sutton Council environmental officers, who in a report to a council committee said the playground should be “a last resort” because “there is a risk the habitat could deteriorate to the extent that the species may be lost”.
But chairman of the Sutton South, Cheam and Belmont Local Committee Councillor Tony Shields said the play facility was essential because there was no playground anywhere else in Sutton South ward, in an area where 50 per cent of properties did not have a back garden.
He said: “We all want to protect wildlife and we believe putting one piece of equipment in the habitat will not be a problem and will bring more people to enjoy the nature reserve.”
He said the plans also had the backing of nearby Devonshire Primary School and parents of pupils there.
At a committee meeting on Thursday it voted to pursue plans for the play equipment, despite the objections.
Sutton also has another habitat for the blue butterfly.
The Avenue Primary School Nature Garden, is also said to contain a small but unstable population of the species.
FACT FILE: Small blue butterly - Cupido minimus
- Britain’s smallest resident butterfly with a wing span that can be a little as 16mm.
- Colonies are isolated and it is only found in small pockets of sometimes less than 30 adults
- Numbers have plummeted in recent years due to loss of chalk grassland habitats.
- It feeds on kidney vetch plants, which only grow on poor nutrient, alkaline soils.
- Despite its name it is not particularly blue as its wings are a dark smokey-brown.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
New atlas catalogues UK's large moth species
Volunteers compile huge database which locates 11.3m individual moth records and shows species decline
Martin Wainwright
guardian.co.uk, Friday 14 January 2011 18.06 GMT
The silent and subtly beautiful visitors which grace Britain's gardens after dark have for the first time been monitored on a massive – and scientifically significant – scale.
Despised and even feared by some, the country's remarkable range of larger moths is catalogued in a new atlas made up of 11.3m individual records.
Hunched over light traps, beating bushes for caterpillars or painting a mix of rum and treacle on tree trunks, volunteers have compiled the enormous database. Their quarry ranges from the noble-sounding splendid brocade and slender burnished brass – both clinging on at a handful of sites in southern England – to moths which drew the short straw for their names, such as the lead-coloured drab and sloe pug.
Based on records from thousands of 10x10km squares across the country, including traps at the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, the atlas charts a familiar story of species decline. But while there are serious threats to once-familiar moths such as the lappet, which combines a curious snout with the camouflage colour and shape of a dead leaf, others are proving an unexpected success.
Since 1900, some 540 new species have been added to the official British list of larger moths, which is approaching 3,000-strong. Mark Parsons of Butterfly Conservation estimates that 112 are sufficiently well-established to be considered permanent settlers, compared with 62 passing into extinction.
Recorders contributing to the atlas describe as "truly astonishing" the pace of colonisation by newcomers such as the Jersey mocha, dusky peacock and sombre brocade. But changes in climate and the landscape, which largely dictate the health or otherwise of moth populations, have been less kind to the bordered gothic and Brighton wainscot. Both are now officially considered lost.
Moths are important indicators of the welfare of wildlife generally, sensitive to atmospherics and with their caterpillars central to bird diet in the country's food chain. Richard Fox, surveys manager for Butterfly Conservation, said: "Moths have a lot to tell us. Their declines alert us to deterioration in the environment. Where they are found can also tell us something significant about climate change.
"This is why the new atlas is so important. It is a huge step forward in helping to protect Britain's moths. It's been a fantastic effort to get to this stage, with thousands of volunteer moth recorders sending in sightings from every county across the UK."
The data, described as "provisional" because of major analysis and further records yet to come, also shows a steady migration of many species northwards across the UK. Scientists are provisionally linking this to the warming effects of climate change, but remain tentative about definite conclusions.
They also hope that the atlas will increase the number of moth enthusiasts, whose ranks have grown at an unprecedented rate since the invention of digital photography. Far from dull and drab, the insects boast an extraordinary range of colours, including light-reflective metallic wing scales. Camouflage resembles everything from an owl to a fox and Winter moths – currently visible, weakly fluttering in car headlights – survive through a natural anti-freeze in their blood.
Only two species damage fabrics and only one – the flame shoulder – has a genuine reputation for seeking out the warmth and shelter of the human ear. Moths are also one of the UK's relatively few "unknowns" where fresh discoveries can be made; a Dr Blair on the Isle of Wight has three new species to his credit, and all are named after him.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/14/insects-wildlife
Martin Wainwright
guardian.co.uk, Friday 14 January 2011 18.06 GMT
The silent and subtly beautiful visitors which grace Britain's gardens after dark have for the first time been monitored on a massive – and scientifically significant – scale.
Despised and even feared by some, the country's remarkable range of larger moths is catalogued in a new atlas made up of 11.3m individual records.
Hunched over light traps, beating bushes for caterpillars or painting a mix of rum and treacle on tree trunks, volunteers have compiled the enormous database. Their quarry ranges from the noble-sounding splendid brocade and slender burnished brass – both clinging on at a handful of sites in southern England – to moths which drew the short straw for their names, such as the lead-coloured drab and sloe pug.
Based on records from thousands of 10x10km squares across the country, including traps at the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, the atlas charts a familiar story of species decline. But while there are serious threats to once-familiar moths such as the lappet, which combines a curious snout with the camouflage colour and shape of a dead leaf, others are proving an unexpected success.
Since 1900, some 540 new species have been added to the official British list of larger moths, which is approaching 3,000-strong. Mark Parsons of Butterfly Conservation estimates that 112 are sufficiently well-established to be considered permanent settlers, compared with 62 passing into extinction.
Recorders contributing to the atlas describe as "truly astonishing" the pace of colonisation by newcomers such as the Jersey mocha, dusky peacock and sombre brocade. But changes in climate and the landscape, which largely dictate the health or otherwise of moth populations, have been less kind to the bordered gothic and Brighton wainscot. Both are now officially considered lost.
Moths are important indicators of the welfare of wildlife generally, sensitive to atmospherics and with their caterpillars central to bird diet in the country's food chain. Richard Fox, surveys manager for Butterfly Conservation, said: "Moths have a lot to tell us. Their declines alert us to deterioration in the environment. Where they are found can also tell us something significant about climate change.
"This is why the new atlas is so important. It is a huge step forward in helping to protect Britain's moths. It's been a fantastic effort to get to this stage, with thousands of volunteer moth recorders sending in sightings from every county across the UK."
The data, described as "provisional" because of major analysis and further records yet to come, also shows a steady migration of many species northwards across the UK. Scientists are provisionally linking this to the warming effects of climate change, but remain tentative about definite conclusions.
They also hope that the atlas will increase the number of moth enthusiasts, whose ranks have grown at an unprecedented rate since the invention of digital photography. Far from dull and drab, the insects boast an extraordinary range of colours, including light-reflective metallic wing scales. Camouflage resembles everything from an owl to a fox and Winter moths – currently visible, weakly fluttering in car headlights – survive through a natural anti-freeze in their blood.
Only two species damage fabrics and only one – the flame shoulder – has a genuine reputation for seeking out the warmth and shelter of the human ear. Moths are also one of the UK's relatively few "unknowns" where fresh discoveries can be made; a Dr Blair on the Isle of Wight has three new species to his credit, and all are named after him.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/14/insects-wildlife
New atlas catalogues UK's large moth species
Volunteers compile huge database which locates 11.3m individual moth records and shows species decline
Martin Wainwright
guardian.co.uk, Friday 14 January 2011 18.06 GMT
The silent and subtly beautiful visitors which grace Britain's gardens after dark have for the first time been monitored on a massive – and scientifically significant – scale.
Despised and even feared by some, the country's remarkable range of larger moths is catalogued in a new atlas made up of 11.3m individual records.
Hunched over light traps, beating bushes for caterpillars or painting a mix of rum and treacle on tree trunks, volunteers have compiled the enormous database. Their quarry ranges from the noble-sounding splendid brocade and slender burnished brass – both clinging on at a handful of sites in southern England – to moths which drew the short straw for their names, such as the lead-coloured drab and sloe pug.
Based on records from thousands of 10x10km squares across the country, including traps at the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, the atlas charts a familiar story of species decline. But while there are serious threats to once-familiar moths such as the lappet, which combines a curious snout with the camouflage colour and shape of a dead leaf, others are proving an unexpected success.
Since 1900, some 540 new species have been added to the official British list of larger moths, which is approaching 3,000-strong. Mark Parsons of Butterfly Conservation estimates that 112 are sufficiently well-established to be considered permanent settlers, compared with 62 passing into extinction.
Recorders contributing to the atlas describe as "truly astonishing" the pace of colonisation by newcomers such as the Jersey mocha, dusky peacock and sombre brocade. But changes in climate and the landscape, which largely dictate the health or otherwise of moth populations, have been less kind to the bordered gothic and Brighton wainscot. Both are now officially considered lost.
Moths are important indicators of the welfare of wildlife generally, sensitive to atmospherics and with their caterpillars central to bird diet in the country's food chain. Richard Fox, surveys manager for Butterfly Conservation, said: "Moths have a lot to tell us. Their declines alert us to deterioration in the environment. Where they are found can also tell us something significant about climate change.
"This is why the new atlas is so important. It is a huge step forward in helping to protect Britain's moths. It's been a fantastic effort to get to this stage, with thousands of volunteer moth recorders sending in sightings from every county across the UK."
The data, described as "provisional" because of major analysis and further records yet to come, also shows a steady migration of many species northwards across the UK. Scientists are provisionally linking this to the warming effects of climate change, but remain tentative about definite conclusions.
They also hope that the atlas will increase the number of moth enthusiasts, whose ranks have grown at an unprecedented rate since the invention of digital photography. Far from dull and drab, the insects boast an extraordinary range of colours, including light-reflective metallic wing scales. Camouflage resembles everything from an owl to a fox and Winter moths – currently visible, weakly fluttering in car headlights – survive through a natural anti-freeze in their blood.
Only two species damage fabrics and only one – the flame shoulder – has a genuine reputation for seeking out the warmth and shelter of the human ear. Moths are also one of the UK's relatively few "unknowns" where fresh discoveries can be made; a Dr Blair on the Isle of Wight has three new species to his credit, and all are named after him.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/14/insects-wildlife
Martin Wainwright
guardian.co.uk, Friday 14 January 2011 18.06 GMT
The silent and subtly beautiful visitors which grace Britain's gardens after dark have for the first time been monitored on a massive – and scientifically significant – scale.
Despised and even feared by some, the country's remarkable range of larger moths is catalogued in a new atlas made up of 11.3m individual records.
Hunched over light traps, beating bushes for caterpillars or painting a mix of rum and treacle on tree trunks, volunteers have compiled the enormous database. Their quarry ranges from the noble-sounding splendid brocade and slender burnished brass – both clinging on at a handful of sites in southern England – to moths which drew the short straw for their names, such as the lead-coloured drab and sloe pug.
Based on records from thousands of 10x10km squares across the country, including traps at the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, the atlas charts a familiar story of species decline. But while there are serious threats to once-familiar moths such as the lappet, which combines a curious snout with the camouflage colour and shape of a dead leaf, others are proving an unexpected success.
Since 1900, some 540 new species have been added to the official British list of larger moths, which is approaching 3,000-strong. Mark Parsons of Butterfly Conservation estimates that 112 are sufficiently well-established to be considered permanent settlers, compared with 62 passing into extinction.
Recorders contributing to the atlas describe as "truly astonishing" the pace of colonisation by newcomers such as the Jersey mocha, dusky peacock and sombre brocade. But changes in climate and the landscape, which largely dictate the health or otherwise of moth populations, have been less kind to the bordered gothic and Brighton wainscot. Both are now officially considered lost.
Moths are important indicators of the welfare of wildlife generally, sensitive to atmospherics and with their caterpillars central to bird diet in the country's food chain. Richard Fox, surveys manager for Butterfly Conservation, said: "Moths have a lot to tell us. Their declines alert us to deterioration in the environment. Where they are found can also tell us something significant about climate change.
"This is why the new atlas is so important. It is a huge step forward in helping to protect Britain's moths. It's been a fantastic effort to get to this stage, with thousands of volunteer moth recorders sending in sightings from every county across the UK."
The data, described as "provisional" because of major analysis and further records yet to come, also shows a steady migration of many species northwards across the UK. Scientists are provisionally linking this to the warming effects of climate change, but remain tentative about definite conclusions.
They also hope that the atlas will increase the number of moth enthusiasts, whose ranks have grown at an unprecedented rate since the invention of digital photography. Far from dull and drab, the insects boast an extraordinary range of colours, including light-reflective metallic wing scales. Camouflage resembles everything from an owl to a fox and Winter moths – currently visible, weakly fluttering in car headlights – survive through a natural anti-freeze in their blood.
Only two species damage fabrics and only one – the flame shoulder – has a genuine reputation for seeking out the warmth and shelter of the human ear. Moths are also one of the UK's relatively few "unknowns" where fresh discoveries can be made; a Dr Blair on the Isle of Wight has three new species to his credit, and all are named after him.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/14/insects-wildlife
Monday, October 25, 2010
Illegal trade of butterflies
Smugglers come in all shapes and sizes, and they deal in all sorts of goods, so it is no surprise that there are those that are smuggling butterflies. But what is often a surprise is that this happens so openly.
Some two years ago, S Guruvayurappan saw mounted butterflies for sale in a Calicut supermarket. They had been imported from countries like Thailand and China. Out of curiosity, the south India project coordinator for the Wildlife Protection Society of India asked the shopkeeper where he might find rare Indian species. At first, the man was unwilling to talk, saying only that he took special orders. Guruvayurappan investigated and found that the supply came from a small hill station called Nadukani, on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
It wasn’t really an undercover operation, but when Guruvayurappan went there with friends, posing as a student who wanted to collect rare butterflies, several locals offered to sell. He identified a familiar pattern. Tourists, particularly from Southeast Asia, were coming to Nadukani to take butterflies, mostly to sell on the international market where the trade in butterflies, unlike in India, is legal.
“The people who sell the butterflies are mostly plantation workers. They do this for additional income as they are paid well for each butterfly they collect. Among the butterflies being smuggled out were the Southern Birdwing, Common Blue Bottle and the Malabar Tree Nymph which are all on the endangered list. It is almost impossible for Customs or forest officials to catch these foreigners as they simply wrap the butterflies in white paper or tracing paper, and place them in camera bags or other containers.”
Though he had documented evidence which he offered to authorities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the latter denied the operation ever existed. In Kerala, though, five arrests were made. “The cases are still pending because the people pursuing it are demoralised by the magistrates. They don’t believe such a fuss should be made over one or two butterflies.”
The trouble is that one little insect here and another one there soon adds up to formidable numbers. The illegal wildlife trade in India is estimated at several thousand crore, the third most lucrative after arms and drugs, and it isn’t just tiger skins and penises. A major part of it includes the small things people don’t notice — such as butterflies and other insects — until they have vanished. As for catching the culprits, over the last 20 years or so, a handful of cases have been registered. They involve foreign collectors or scientists trying to smuggle butterflies and other insects. But the majority, as in the case of Nadukani, simply fly under the radar or are not treated with the seriousness they deserve.
Butterflies have been called ‘nature’s jewels’, but they are far more than pretty little insects. They are indispensable to successful farming. Butterflies have immense economic value as pollinators — globally their value to agriculture per year is estimated at $200 billion, second only to the honeybee. And to fragile ecosystems, like the Himalayas where the summers are relatively short, the removal of a single species like the Kaisar-i-Hind could have a devastating chain effect. For instance, apple producers in the Himalayas complain of a decline in yield and quality due to the lack of insect pollinators, including butterflies and moths, in the flowering season.
With its varied climatic zones, India is a haven of diversity, and this extends to butterfly species as well. According to Ashok Kumar, a former IAS officer who has worked for the Andhra Pradesh Wildlife Advisory board and is vice president of the Butterfly Conservation Society, the North East alone has about 900 species, compared to 56 in the whole of the UK. The sheer diversity of species is mind-boggling, he says. No wonder the ‘bio-pirates’ are dazzled by the wealth they confront, literally.
Some species are worth astronomical sums. For instance, high-altitude butterflies like the Bhutan Glory, Kaisar-i-Hind, Pale Jezebel, Atlas Moth and the Ladakh Banded Apollo, fetch up to Rs 20,000 apiece in the international market. That is a staggering sum by the standards of the workers who do the actual collecting, and a reason why they are paid well for their labours.
Today’s market for butterflies is a bit like the shark fin craze, everyone wants it because they can all afford it. Earlier, only collectors bought butterflies but now it’s a business that’s diversified as it expands. In Southeast Asia, Kumar says they are used in greeting cards, paper weights, even jewellery. And in Europe and North America many people planning to start butterfly farms are always looking for exotic species. All this has put serious strains on many butterfly populations in the country.
Arjan Basu Roy, vice president of Naturemates, an NGO in Calcutta which does butterfly surveys in and around West Bengal, says the problem is that butterfly collection is not outlawed in other countries. While collection in India is clearly banned by the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the global trade in butterflies is worth something like $200 million. Those unfamiliar with this concept need only check out websites like www.insectdesign.com to see the scale on which it happens.
During a recent survey around the Darjeeling area, Roy was amazed to find that most of the major species had almost disappeared. Perhaps one or two of each species were spotted. Ironically, it was on a visit to Japan that he spotted a Bhutan Glory that was up for sale. It had been collected in 1999. His inquiries turned up stocks of other Indian species, available since 2003.
The key to this operation is the local factor. “They form an essential link in the smuggling route, because after collection the butterflies are sent either to Nepal or Myanmar where Indian laws don’t apply. From there they can be transported out. Locals who cross the border on foot are never even questioned or searched so it’s almost impossible to detect,” says Roy.
Experts in the conservation business rue the fact that more attention isn’t paid to the depletion of insect populations, both through smuggling and environmental degradation. According to Tej Kumar, president of the Butterfly Conservation Society in Andhra, wildlife conservation in India has come to focus almost exclusively on the tiger. “More awareness is needed among customs and forest officials because that’s one major reason why insect smugglers get away — these officials are not able to identify when they are taking away rare or endangered species.”
He also says the laws need to be looked at again. “We have a complicated system. The Wildlife Protection Act has four schedules under which different species are included. And it’s only if someone is found with one of these that action can be taken. Also, while some common species are included in the Act, certain species endemic to the Western Ghats, for instance, and thus more important, will not be included.” The question is, will everyone wake up to notice only after the butterflies are gone?
The Indiana Jones of butterfly smuggling
In 2006, a Japanese man in Los Angeles called Hisayoshi Kojima who described himself as the world’s most wanted butterfly smuggler was apprehended and sentenced to 21 months in prison. He was caught after an undercover operation that lasted nearly three years.
Officials began investigating Kojima in 2003 after an insect dealer in Texas told agents of his reputation within the trade as the world’s top smuggler of rare and protected butterflies. Investigators learned Kojima’s smuggling network spanned the globe. He routinely produced for sale endangered butterflies from the South Pacific, Caribbean and Spain, including one pair of Queen Alexandra’s birdwings, an endangered species that is the largest butterfly in the world. Kojima sold the pair to an undercover agent for $8,500.
Special Agent Ed Newcomer, who led the three-year investigation, said that Kojima was able to produce butterflies for sale that are almost never seen in commercial trade, or even made available to university collections.
Included in the list of rare butterflies Kojima offered for sale was the endangered Giant Swallowtail butterfly, Papilio homerus, the largest butterfly in the western hemisphere. The species is depicted on the $1,000 Jamaican banknote.
Case histories
1994 — Two German tourists called Heckar Hermann Henrich and Weigert Ludwig, who came to India as tourists were detained at the Indira Gandhi Airport as they were found with four cartons that contained nearly 45,000 insects, including butterflies. These were confiscated on the spot and sent to entomologists for identification.
July 1996 — 1,773 insects and 1,268 butterflies were seized in Darjeeling. They were being smuggled out by Kawamura Shunchi, a Japanese tourist and his Indian accomplice Bhotto Singh Chepri. They were given one month imprisonment. On the same day, a local in Darjeeling was arrested with mounted butterflies.
October 2001 — Two Russians — Victor Siniaev and Oleg Amosov — were arrested in Kanchenjunga in Sikkim for collecting over 2000 beetles, moths and butterflies. They claimed that they were scientists and didn’t know that it was a National park. The Russian consulate in Calcutta took up the issue and petitioned for their release. The Forest Department found in their possession a petrol generator, ultra violet bulbs, killing and collecting jars, chemicals, wires and nets.
2008 — Two Czech nationals, Peter Svacha and Emil Kucera came to India on tourist visas and were apprehended in Singalila National Park in West
Bengal with nearly 2,000 specimens of larvae and adult insects. They claimed they were from the Czech Academy of science.
Svacha was fined Rs 20,000 and Kucera Rs 60,000. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that Kucera was running a website that offered to sell rare insects to collectors. The two men were given conditional bail and the incident caused great controversy as scientists, from India and abroad, filed numerous petitions demanding that the duo be released.
Jayant Sriram
http://expressbuzz.com/magazine/illegal-trade-of-butterflies/217211.html
Some two years ago, S Guruvayurappan saw mounted butterflies for sale in a Calicut supermarket. They had been imported from countries like Thailand and China. Out of curiosity, the south India project coordinator for the Wildlife Protection Society of India asked the shopkeeper where he might find rare Indian species. At first, the man was unwilling to talk, saying only that he took special orders. Guruvayurappan investigated and found that the supply came from a small hill station called Nadukani, on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
It wasn’t really an undercover operation, but when Guruvayurappan went there with friends, posing as a student who wanted to collect rare butterflies, several locals offered to sell. He identified a familiar pattern. Tourists, particularly from Southeast Asia, were coming to Nadukani to take butterflies, mostly to sell on the international market where the trade in butterflies, unlike in India, is legal.
“The people who sell the butterflies are mostly plantation workers. They do this for additional income as they are paid well for each butterfly they collect. Among the butterflies being smuggled out were the Southern Birdwing, Common Blue Bottle and the Malabar Tree Nymph which are all on the endangered list. It is almost impossible for Customs or forest officials to catch these foreigners as they simply wrap the butterflies in white paper or tracing paper, and place them in camera bags or other containers.”
Though he had documented evidence which he offered to authorities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the latter denied the operation ever existed. In Kerala, though, five arrests were made. “The cases are still pending because the people pursuing it are demoralised by the magistrates. They don’t believe such a fuss should be made over one or two butterflies.”
The trouble is that one little insect here and another one there soon adds up to formidable numbers. The illegal wildlife trade in India is estimated at several thousand crore, the third most lucrative after arms and drugs, and it isn’t just tiger skins and penises. A major part of it includes the small things people don’t notice — such as butterflies and other insects — until they have vanished. As for catching the culprits, over the last 20 years or so, a handful of cases have been registered. They involve foreign collectors or scientists trying to smuggle butterflies and other insects. But the majority, as in the case of Nadukani, simply fly under the radar or are not treated with the seriousness they deserve.
Butterflies have been called ‘nature’s jewels’, but they are far more than pretty little insects. They are indispensable to successful farming. Butterflies have immense economic value as pollinators — globally their value to agriculture per year is estimated at $200 billion, second only to the honeybee. And to fragile ecosystems, like the Himalayas where the summers are relatively short, the removal of a single species like the Kaisar-i-Hind could have a devastating chain effect. For instance, apple producers in the Himalayas complain of a decline in yield and quality due to the lack of insect pollinators, including butterflies and moths, in the flowering season.
With its varied climatic zones, India is a haven of diversity, and this extends to butterfly species as well. According to Ashok Kumar, a former IAS officer who has worked for the Andhra Pradesh Wildlife Advisory board and is vice president of the Butterfly Conservation Society, the North East alone has about 900 species, compared to 56 in the whole of the UK. The sheer diversity of species is mind-boggling, he says. No wonder the ‘bio-pirates’ are dazzled by the wealth they confront, literally.
Some species are worth astronomical sums. For instance, high-altitude butterflies like the Bhutan Glory, Kaisar-i-Hind, Pale Jezebel, Atlas Moth and the Ladakh Banded Apollo, fetch up to Rs 20,000 apiece in the international market. That is a staggering sum by the standards of the workers who do the actual collecting, and a reason why they are paid well for their labours.
Today’s market for butterflies is a bit like the shark fin craze, everyone wants it because they can all afford it. Earlier, only collectors bought butterflies but now it’s a business that’s diversified as it expands. In Southeast Asia, Kumar says they are used in greeting cards, paper weights, even jewellery. And in Europe and North America many people planning to start butterfly farms are always looking for exotic species. All this has put serious strains on many butterfly populations in the country.
Arjan Basu Roy, vice president of Naturemates, an NGO in Calcutta which does butterfly surveys in and around West Bengal, says the problem is that butterfly collection is not outlawed in other countries. While collection in India is clearly banned by the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the global trade in butterflies is worth something like $200 million. Those unfamiliar with this concept need only check out websites like www.insectdesign.com to see the scale on which it happens.
During a recent survey around the Darjeeling area, Roy was amazed to find that most of the major species had almost disappeared. Perhaps one or two of each species were spotted. Ironically, it was on a visit to Japan that he spotted a Bhutan Glory that was up for sale. It had been collected in 1999. His inquiries turned up stocks of other Indian species, available since 2003.
The key to this operation is the local factor. “They form an essential link in the smuggling route, because after collection the butterflies are sent either to Nepal or Myanmar where Indian laws don’t apply. From there they can be transported out. Locals who cross the border on foot are never even questioned or searched so it’s almost impossible to detect,” says Roy.
Experts in the conservation business rue the fact that more attention isn’t paid to the depletion of insect populations, both through smuggling and environmental degradation. According to Tej Kumar, president of the Butterfly Conservation Society in Andhra, wildlife conservation in India has come to focus almost exclusively on the tiger. “More awareness is needed among customs and forest officials because that’s one major reason why insect smugglers get away — these officials are not able to identify when they are taking away rare or endangered species.”
He also says the laws need to be looked at again. “We have a complicated system. The Wildlife Protection Act has four schedules under which different species are included. And it’s only if someone is found with one of these that action can be taken. Also, while some common species are included in the Act, certain species endemic to the Western Ghats, for instance, and thus more important, will not be included.” The question is, will everyone wake up to notice only after the butterflies are gone?
The Indiana Jones of butterfly smuggling
In 2006, a Japanese man in Los Angeles called Hisayoshi Kojima who described himself as the world’s most wanted butterfly smuggler was apprehended and sentenced to 21 months in prison. He was caught after an undercover operation that lasted nearly three years.
Officials began investigating Kojima in 2003 after an insect dealer in Texas told agents of his reputation within the trade as the world’s top smuggler of rare and protected butterflies. Investigators learned Kojima’s smuggling network spanned the globe. He routinely produced for sale endangered butterflies from the South Pacific, Caribbean and Spain, including one pair of Queen Alexandra’s birdwings, an endangered species that is the largest butterfly in the world. Kojima sold the pair to an undercover agent for $8,500.
Special Agent Ed Newcomer, who led the three-year investigation, said that Kojima was able to produce butterflies for sale that are almost never seen in commercial trade, or even made available to university collections.
Included in the list of rare butterflies Kojima offered for sale was the endangered Giant Swallowtail butterfly, Papilio homerus, the largest butterfly in the western hemisphere. The species is depicted on the $1,000 Jamaican banknote.
Case histories
1994 — Two German tourists called Heckar Hermann Henrich and Weigert Ludwig, who came to India as tourists were detained at the Indira Gandhi Airport as they were found with four cartons that contained nearly 45,000 insects, including butterflies. These were confiscated on the spot and sent to entomologists for identification.
July 1996 — 1,773 insects and 1,268 butterflies were seized in Darjeeling. They were being smuggled out by Kawamura Shunchi, a Japanese tourist and his Indian accomplice Bhotto Singh Chepri. They were given one month imprisonment. On the same day, a local in Darjeeling was arrested with mounted butterflies.
October 2001 — Two Russians — Victor Siniaev and Oleg Amosov — were arrested in Kanchenjunga in Sikkim for collecting over 2000 beetles, moths and butterflies. They claimed that they were scientists and didn’t know that it was a National park. The Russian consulate in Calcutta took up the issue and petitioned for their release. The Forest Department found in their possession a petrol generator, ultra violet bulbs, killing and collecting jars, chemicals, wires and nets.
2008 — Two Czech nationals, Peter Svacha and Emil Kucera came to India on tourist visas and were apprehended in Singalila National Park in West
Bengal with nearly 2,000 specimens of larvae and adult insects. They claimed they were from the Czech Academy of science.
Svacha was fined Rs 20,000 and Kucera Rs 60,000. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that Kucera was running a website that offered to sell rare insects to collectors. The two men were given conditional bail and the incident caused great controversy as scientists, from India and abroad, filed numerous petitions demanding that the duo be released.
Jayant Sriram
http://expressbuzz.com/magazine/illegal-trade-of-butterflies/217211.html
Illegal trade of butterflies
Smugglers come in all shapes and sizes, and they deal in all sorts of goods, so it is no surprise that there are those that are smuggling butterflies. But what is often a surprise is that this happens so openly.
Some two years ago, S Guruvayurappan saw mounted butterflies for sale in a Calicut supermarket. They had been imported from countries like Thailand and China. Out of curiosity, the south India project coordinator for the Wildlife Protection Society of India asked the shopkeeper where he might find rare Indian species. At first, the man was unwilling to talk, saying only that he took special orders. Guruvayurappan investigated and found that the supply came from a small hill station called Nadukani, on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
It wasn’t really an undercover operation, but when Guruvayurappan went there with friends, posing as a student who wanted to collect rare butterflies, several locals offered to sell. He identified a familiar pattern. Tourists, particularly from Southeast Asia, were coming to Nadukani to take butterflies, mostly to sell on the international market where the trade in butterflies, unlike in India, is legal.
“The people who sell the butterflies are mostly plantation workers. They do this for additional income as they are paid well for each butterfly they collect. Among the butterflies being smuggled out were the Southern Birdwing, Common Blue Bottle and the Malabar Tree Nymph which are all on the endangered list. It is almost impossible for Customs or forest officials to catch these foreigners as they simply wrap the butterflies in white paper or tracing paper, and place them in camera bags or other containers.”
Though he had documented evidence which he offered to authorities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the latter denied the operation ever existed. In Kerala, though, five arrests were made. “The cases are still pending because the people pursuing it are demoralised by the magistrates. They don’t believe such a fuss should be made over one or two butterflies.”
The trouble is that one little insect here and another one there soon adds up to formidable numbers. The illegal wildlife trade in India is estimated at several thousand crore, the third most lucrative after arms and drugs, and it isn’t just tiger skins and penises. A major part of it includes the small things people don’t notice — such as butterflies and other insects — until they have vanished. As for catching the culprits, over the last 20 years or so, a handful of cases have been registered. They involve foreign collectors or scientists trying to smuggle butterflies and other insects. But the majority, as in the case of Nadukani, simply fly under the radar or are not treated with the seriousness they deserve.
Butterflies have been called ‘nature’s jewels’, but they are far more than pretty little insects. They are indispensable to successful farming. Butterflies have immense economic value as pollinators — globally their value to agriculture per year is estimated at $200 billion, second only to the honeybee. And to fragile ecosystems, like the Himalayas where the summers are relatively short, the removal of a single species like the Kaisar-i-Hind could have a devastating chain effect. For instance, apple producers in the Himalayas complain of a decline in yield and quality due to the lack of insect pollinators, including butterflies and moths, in the flowering season.
With its varied climatic zones, India is a haven of diversity, and this extends to butterfly species as well. According to Ashok Kumar, a former IAS officer who has worked for the Andhra Pradesh Wildlife Advisory board and is vice president of the Butterfly Conservation Society, the North East alone has about 900 species, compared to 56 in the whole of the UK. The sheer diversity of species is mind-boggling, he says. No wonder the ‘bio-pirates’ are dazzled by the wealth they confront, literally.
Some species are worth astronomical sums. For instance, high-altitude butterflies like the Bhutan Glory, Kaisar-i-Hind, Pale Jezebel, Atlas Moth and the Ladakh Banded Apollo, fetch up to Rs 20,000 apiece in the international market. That is a staggering sum by the standards of the workers who do the actual collecting, and a reason why they are paid well for their labours.
Today’s market for butterflies is a bit like the shark fin craze, everyone wants it because they can all afford it. Earlier, only collectors bought butterflies but now it’s a business that’s diversified as it expands. In Southeast Asia, Kumar says they are used in greeting cards, paper weights, even jewellery. And in Europe and North America many people planning to start butterfly farms are always looking for exotic species. All this has put serious strains on many butterfly populations in the country.
Arjan Basu Roy, vice president of Naturemates, an NGO in Calcutta which does butterfly surveys in and around West Bengal, says the problem is that butterfly collection is not outlawed in other countries. While collection in India is clearly banned by the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the global trade in butterflies is worth something like $200 million. Those unfamiliar with this concept need only check out websites like www.insectdesign.com to see the scale on which it happens.
During a recent survey around the Darjeeling area, Roy was amazed to find that most of the major species had almost disappeared. Perhaps one or two of each species were spotted. Ironically, it was on a visit to Japan that he spotted a Bhutan Glory that was up for sale. It had been collected in 1999. His inquiries turned up stocks of other Indian species, available since 2003.
The key to this operation is the local factor. “They form an essential link in the smuggling route, because after collection the butterflies are sent either to Nepal or Myanmar where Indian laws don’t apply. From there they can be transported out. Locals who cross the border on foot are never even questioned or searched so it’s almost impossible to detect,” says Roy.
Experts in the conservation business rue the fact that more attention isn’t paid to the depletion of insect populations, both through smuggling and environmental degradation. According to Tej Kumar, president of the Butterfly Conservation Society in Andhra, wildlife conservation in India has come to focus almost exclusively on the tiger. “More awareness is needed among customs and forest officials because that’s one major reason why insect smugglers get away — these officials are not able to identify when they are taking away rare or endangered species.”
He also says the laws need to be looked at again. “We have a complicated system. The Wildlife Protection Act has four schedules under which different species are included. And it’s only if someone is found with one of these that action can be taken. Also, while some common species are included in the Act, certain species endemic to the Western Ghats, for instance, and thus more important, will not be included.” The question is, will everyone wake up to notice only after the butterflies are gone?
The Indiana Jones of butterfly smuggling
In 2006, a Japanese man in Los Angeles called Hisayoshi Kojima who described himself as the world’s most wanted butterfly smuggler was apprehended and sentenced to 21 months in prison. He was caught after an undercover operation that lasted nearly three years.
Officials began investigating Kojima in 2003 after an insect dealer in Texas told agents of his reputation within the trade as the world’s top smuggler of rare and protected butterflies. Investigators learned Kojima’s smuggling network spanned the globe. He routinely produced for sale endangered butterflies from the South Pacific, Caribbean and Spain, including one pair of Queen Alexandra’s birdwings, an endangered species that is the largest butterfly in the world. Kojima sold the pair to an undercover agent for $8,500.
Special Agent Ed Newcomer, who led the three-year investigation, said that Kojima was able to produce butterflies for sale that are almost never seen in commercial trade, or even made available to university collections.
Included in the list of rare butterflies Kojima offered for sale was the endangered Giant Swallowtail butterfly, Papilio homerus, the largest butterfly in the western hemisphere. The species is depicted on the $1,000 Jamaican banknote.
Case histories
1994 — Two German tourists called Heckar Hermann Henrich and Weigert Ludwig, who came to India as tourists were detained at the Indira Gandhi Airport as they were found with four cartons that contained nearly 45,000 insects, including butterflies. These were confiscated on the spot and sent to entomologists for identification.
July 1996 — 1,773 insects and 1,268 butterflies were seized in Darjeeling. They were being smuggled out by Kawamura Shunchi, a Japanese tourist and his Indian accomplice Bhotto Singh Chepri. They were given one month imprisonment. On the same day, a local in Darjeeling was arrested with mounted butterflies.
October 2001 — Two Russians — Victor Siniaev and Oleg Amosov — were arrested in Kanchenjunga in Sikkim for collecting over 2000 beetles, moths and butterflies. They claimed that they were scientists and didn’t know that it was a National park. The Russian consulate in Calcutta took up the issue and petitioned for their release. The Forest Department found in their possession a petrol generator, ultra violet bulbs, killing and collecting jars, chemicals, wires and nets.
2008 — Two Czech nationals, Peter Svacha and Emil Kucera came to India on tourist visas and were apprehended in Singalila National Park in West
Bengal with nearly 2,000 specimens of larvae and adult insects. They claimed they were from the Czech Academy of science.
Svacha was fined Rs 20,000 and Kucera Rs 60,000. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that Kucera was running a website that offered to sell rare insects to collectors. The two men were given conditional bail and the incident caused great controversy as scientists, from India and abroad, filed numerous petitions demanding that the duo be released.
Jayant Sriram
http://expressbuzz.com/magazine/illegal-trade-of-butterflies/217211.html
Some two years ago, S Guruvayurappan saw mounted butterflies for sale in a Calicut supermarket. They had been imported from countries like Thailand and China. Out of curiosity, the south India project coordinator for the Wildlife Protection Society of India asked the shopkeeper where he might find rare Indian species. At first, the man was unwilling to talk, saying only that he took special orders. Guruvayurappan investigated and found that the supply came from a small hill station called Nadukani, on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.
It wasn’t really an undercover operation, but when Guruvayurappan went there with friends, posing as a student who wanted to collect rare butterflies, several locals offered to sell. He identified a familiar pattern. Tourists, particularly from Southeast Asia, were coming to Nadukani to take butterflies, mostly to sell on the international market where the trade in butterflies, unlike in India, is legal.
“The people who sell the butterflies are mostly plantation workers. They do this for additional income as they are paid well for each butterfly they collect. Among the butterflies being smuggled out were the Southern Birdwing, Common Blue Bottle and the Malabar Tree Nymph which are all on the endangered list. It is almost impossible for Customs or forest officials to catch these foreigners as they simply wrap the butterflies in white paper or tracing paper, and place them in camera bags or other containers.”
Though he had documented evidence which he offered to authorities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the latter denied the operation ever existed. In Kerala, though, five arrests were made. “The cases are still pending because the people pursuing it are demoralised by the magistrates. They don’t believe such a fuss should be made over one or two butterflies.”
The trouble is that one little insect here and another one there soon adds up to formidable numbers. The illegal wildlife trade in India is estimated at several thousand crore, the third most lucrative after arms and drugs, and it isn’t just tiger skins and penises. A major part of it includes the small things people don’t notice — such as butterflies and other insects — until they have vanished. As for catching the culprits, over the last 20 years or so, a handful of cases have been registered. They involve foreign collectors or scientists trying to smuggle butterflies and other insects. But the majority, as in the case of Nadukani, simply fly under the radar or are not treated with the seriousness they deserve.
Butterflies have been called ‘nature’s jewels’, but they are far more than pretty little insects. They are indispensable to successful farming. Butterflies have immense economic value as pollinators — globally their value to agriculture per year is estimated at $200 billion, second only to the honeybee. And to fragile ecosystems, like the Himalayas where the summers are relatively short, the removal of a single species like the Kaisar-i-Hind could have a devastating chain effect. For instance, apple producers in the Himalayas complain of a decline in yield and quality due to the lack of insect pollinators, including butterflies and moths, in the flowering season.
With its varied climatic zones, India is a haven of diversity, and this extends to butterfly species as well. According to Ashok Kumar, a former IAS officer who has worked for the Andhra Pradesh Wildlife Advisory board and is vice president of the Butterfly Conservation Society, the North East alone has about 900 species, compared to 56 in the whole of the UK. The sheer diversity of species is mind-boggling, he says. No wonder the ‘bio-pirates’ are dazzled by the wealth they confront, literally.
Some species are worth astronomical sums. For instance, high-altitude butterflies like the Bhutan Glory, Kaisar-i-Hind, Pale Jezebel, Atlas Moth and the Ladakh Banded Apollo, fetch up to Rs 20,000 apiece in the international market. That is a staggering sum by the standards of the workers who do the actual collecting, and a reason why they are paid well for their labours.
Today’s market for butterflies is a bit like the shark fin craze, everyone wants it because they can all afford it. Earlier, only collectors bought butterflies but now it’s a business that’s diversified as it expands. In Southeast Asia, Kumar says they are used in greeting cards, paper weights, even jewellery. And in Europe and North America many people planning to start butterfly farms are always looking for exotic species. All this has put serious strains on many butterfly populations in the country.
Arjan Basu Roy, vice president of Naturemates, an NGO in Calcutta which does butterfly surveys in and around West Bengal, says the problem is that butterfly collection is not outlawed in other countries. While collection in India is clearly banned by the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the global trade in butterflies is worth something like $200 million. Those unfamiliar with this concept need only check out websites like www.insectdesign.com to see the scale on which it happens.
During a recent survey around the Darjeeling area, Roy was amazed to find that most of the major species had almost disappeared. Perhaps one or two of each species were spotted. Ironically, it was on a visit to Japan that he spotted a Bhutan Glory that was up for sale. It had been collected in 1999. His inquiries turned up stocks of other Indian species, available since 2003.
The key to this operation is the local factor. “They form an essential link in the smuggling route, because after collection the butterflies are sent either to Nepal or Myanmar where Indian laws don’t apply. From there they can be transported out. Locals who cross the border on foot are never even questioned or searched so it’s almost impossible to detect,” says Roy.
Experts in the conservation business rue the fact that more attention isn’t paid to the depletion of insect populations, both through smuggling and environmental degradation. According to Tej Kumar, president of the Butterfly Conservation Society in Andhra, wildlife conservation in India has come to focus almost exclusively on the tiger. “More awareness is needed among customs and forest officials because that’s one major reason why insect smugglers get away — these officials are not able to identify when they are taking away rare or endangered species.”
He also says the laws need to be looked at again. “We have a complicated system. The Wildlife Protection Act has four schedules under which different species are included. And it’s only if someone is found with one of these that action can be taken. Also, while some common species are included in the Act, certain species endemic to the Western Ghats, for instance, and thus more important, will not be included.” The question is, will everyone wake up to notice only after the butterflies are gone?
The Indiana Jones of butterfly smuggling
In 2006, a Japanese man in Los Angeles called Hisayoshi Kojima who described himself as the world’s most wanted butterfly smuggler was apprehended and sentenced to 21 months in prison. He was caught after an undercover operation that lasted nearly three years.
Officials began investigating Kojima in 2003 after an insect dealer in Texas told agents of his reputation within the trade as the world’s top smuggler of rare and protected butterflies. Investigators learned Kojima’s smuggling network spanned the globe. He routinely produced for sale endangered butterflies from the South Pacific, Caribbean and Spain, including one pair of Queen Alexandra’s birdwings, an endangered species that is the largest butterfly in the world. Kojima sold the pair to an undercover agent for $8,500.
Special Agent Ed Newcomer, who led the three-year investigation, said that Kojima was able to produce butterflies for sale that are almost never seen in commercial trade, or even made available to university collections.
Included in the list of rare butterflies Kojima offered for sale was the endangered Giant Swallowtail butterfly, Papilio homerus, the largest butterfly in the western hemisphere. The species is depicted on the $1,000 Jamaican banknote.
Case histories
1994 — Two German tourists called Heckar Hermann Henrich and Weigert Ludwig, who came to India as tourists were detained at the Indira Gandhi Airport as they were found with four cartons that contained nearly 45,000 insects, including butterflies. These were confiscated on the spot and sent to entomologists for identification.
July 1996 — 1,773 insects and 1,268 butterflies were seized in Darjeeling. They were being smuggled out by Kawamura Shunchi, a Japanese tourist and his Indian accomplice Bhotto Singh Chepri. They were given one month imprisonment. On the same day, a local in Darjeeling was arrested with mounted butterflies.
October 2001 — Two Russians — Victor Siniaev and Oleg Amosov — were arrested in Kanchenjunga in Sikkim for collecting over 2000 beetles, moths and butterflies. They claimed that they were scientists and didn’t know that it was a National park. The Russian consulate in Calcutta took up the issue and petitioned for their release. The Forest Department found in their possession a petrol generator, ultra violet bulbs, killing and collecting jars, chemicals, wires and nets.
2008 — Two Czech nationals, Peter Svacha and Emil Kucera came to India on tourist visas and were apprehended in Singalila National Park in West
Bengal with nearly 2,000 specimens of larvae and adult insects. They claimed they were from the Czech Academy of science.
Svacha was fined Rs 20,000 and Kucera Rs 60,000. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that Kucera was running a website that offered to sell rare insects to collectors. The two men were given conditional bail and the incident caused great controversy as scientists, from India and abroad, filed numerous petitions demanding that the duo be released.
Jayant Sriram
http://expressbuzz.com/magazine/illegal-trade-of-butterflies/217211.html
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Study finds monarch butterflies use medicinal plants to treat offspring for disease
11-Oct-2010
Monarch butterflies appear to use medicinal plants to treat their offspring for disease, research by biologists at Emory University shows. Their findings were published online Oct. 6 in the journal Ecology Letters.
"We have shown that some species of milkweed, the larva's food plants, can reduce parasite infection in the monarchs," says Jaap de Roode, the evolutionary biologist who led the study. "And we have also found that infected female butterflies prefer to lay their eggs on plants that will make their offspring less sick, suggesting that monarchs have evolved the ability to medicate their offspring." (See interview with de Roode here: http://tinyurl.com/3995m3u)
Few studies have been done on self-medication by animals, but some scientists have theorized that the practice may be more widespread than we realize. "We believe that our experiments provide the best evidence to date that animals use medication," de Roode says.
"The results are also exciting because the behavior is trans-generational," says Thierry Lefevre, a post-doctoral fellow in de Roode's lab. "While the mother is expressing the behavior, only her offspring benefit. That finding is surprising for monarch butterflies."
The findings also may have implications for human health, says University of Michigan chemical ecologist Mark Hunter, who collaborated with de Roode's group on the research.
"When I walk around outside, I think of the plants I see as a great, green pharmacy," Hunter says. "But what also strikes me is how little we actually know about what that pharmacy has to offer. Studying organisms engaged in self-medication gives us a clue as to what compounds might be worth investigating for their potential as human medicines."
Monarch butterflies are known for their spectacular migration from the United States to Mexico each year, and for the striking pattern of orange, black and white on their wings. That bright coloration is a warning sign to birds and other predators that the butterfly may be poisonous.
Monarch caterpillars feed on any of dozens of species of milkweed plants, including some species that contain high levels of cardenolides. These chemicals do not harm the caterpillars, but make them toxic to predators even after they emerge as adults from their chrysalises.
Previous research has focused on whether the butterflies choose more toxic species of milkweed to ward off predators. De Roode wondered if the choice could be related to the Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. The parasites invade the gut of the caterpillars and then persist when they become adult monarchs. An infected female passes on the parasites when she lays her eggs. If the adult butterfly leaves the pupal stage with a severe parasitic infection, it begins oozing fluids from its body and dies. Even if the butterflies survive, they do not fly as well or live as long as uninfected ones.
Experiments in de Roode's lab have shown that a female infected with the parasites prefers to lay her eggs on a toxic species of milkweed, rather than a non-toxic species. Uninfected female monarchs, however, showed no preference.
Researchers have studied the kinds of leaves that primates eat in forests, but this work with butterflies stresses the point that even insects in our own back yard can be useful indicators of what might be medicinally active, Hunter says.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-10/eu-sfm100810.php
(Submitted by Chad Arment)
Monarch butterflies appear to use medicinal plants to treat their offspring for disease, research by biologists at Emory University shows. Their findings were published online Oct. 6 in the journal Ecology Letters.
"We have shown that some species of milkweed, the larva's food plants, can reduce parasite infection in the monarchs," says Jaap de Roode, the evolutionary biologist who led the study. "And we have also found that infected female butterflies prefer to lay their eggs on plants that will make their offspring less sick, suggesting that monarchs have evolved the ability to medicate their offspring." (See interview with de Roode here: http://tinyurl.com/3995m3u)
Few studies have been done on self-medication by animals, but some scientists have theorized that the practice may be more widespread than we realize. "We believe that our experiments provide the best evidence to date that animals use medication," de Roode says.
"The results are also exciting because the behavior is trans-generational," says Thierry Lefevre, a post-doctoral fellow in de Roode's lab. "While the mother is expressing the behavior, only her offspring benefit. That finding is surprising for monarch butterflies."
The findings also may have implications for human health, says University of Michigan chemical ecologist Mark Hunter, who collaborated with de Roode's group on the research.
"When I walk around outside, I think of the plants I see as a great, green pharmacy," Hunter says. "But what also strikes me is how little we actually know about what that pharmacy has to offer. Studying organisms engaged in self-medication gives us a clue as to what compounds might be worth investigating for their potential as human medicines."
Monarch butterflies are known for their spectacular migration from the United States to Mexico each year, and for the striking pattern of orange, black and white on their wings. That bright coloration is a warning sign to birds and other predators that the butterfly may be poisonous.
Monarch caterpillars feed on any of dozens of species of milkweed plants, including some species that contain high levels of cardenolides. These chemicals do not harm the caterpillars, but make them toxic to predators even after they emerge as adults from their chrysalises.
Previous research has focused on whether the butterflies choose more toxic species of milkweed to ward off predators. De Roode wondered if the choice could be related to the Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. The parasites invade the gut of the caterpillars and then persist when they become adult monarchs. An infected female passes on the parasites when she lays her eggs. If the adult butterfly leaves the pupal stage with a severe parasitic infection, it begins oozing fluids from its body and dies. Even if the butterflies survive, they do not fly as well or live as long as uninfected ones.
Experiments in de Roode's lab have shown that a female infected with the parasites prefers to lay her eggs on a toxic species of milkweed, rather than a non-toxic species. Uninfected female monarchs, however, showed no preference.
Researchers have studied the kinds of leaves that primates eat in forests, but this work with butterflies stresses the point that even insects in our own back yard can be useful indicators of what might be medicinally active, Hunter says.
###
De Roode recently received a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, which he will use to see if the lab results can be replicated in nature, in different populations of monarchs in various regions of the world. Hunter received $150,000 from the NSF to identify the chemicals that account for the medicinal properties of the milkweed plants.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-10/eu-sfm100810.php
(Submitted by Chad Arment)
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