UK migrants (mainly moths).

Roger C. KENDRICK kendrick at hkusua.hku.hk
Wed Jul 29 04:04:19 EDT 1998



Andrew Daw wrote:

> >
> > On 27 Jul 1998 10:03:37 -0700, lday at iquest.net (Liz Day) wrote:
> >
> > >Wait a second - *moths* migrate?  Do they migrate, or just drift around?
> >
> > Hi Liz
> >
> > They migrate - in fact they migrate just as far as butterflies like
> > the Monarch (in the US) or Painted Lady (in the UK).
> <snip>
> > Chris R.
> >
> >
>
> In fact I was watching a program on BBC2 last night about the Bogong Moth
> in Australia which does an annual migration similar to the Monarch.
> To summarise: It spends the larva stage munching on crops in the relatively
> cooler winter months.  Then as spring comes in it metamorphasises into the
> adult moth and migrates into the mountains where it spends the scorching
> summers resting (in their 1000's) in the caves there.
> After the summer they migrate back again, mate lay eggs and die.
>
> --
> *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
> * Andrew Daw                   email:  andrewd at redac.co.uk        *
> *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

 Mythimna separata (Noctuidae: Hadeninae) is a well studied species that
winters in southern China and then migrates to north-east China over several
generations, arriving around May or June. A return migration then takes place
with a third, fourth and possibly fifth generation from August, reaching
southern China (including Hong Kong) by November. This is a true directional
migration that has been adopted as a strategy which optimises the use of
suitable conditions for larval growth, rather than a dispersive event.
(references can be provided if required).

regards,

Roger.
________________________________________________
Roger C. KENDRICK   B.Sc.(Hons.)
PhD student & Demonstrator, Dept of Ecology & Biodiversity
The University of Hong Kong
mailto:kendrick at hkusua.hku.hk
http://web.hku.hk/~kendrick/hkmoth.htm   « Hong Kong Moths »
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/1085/   « H.K. Lepidoptera Group »
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