FWD: Banded Orange Heliconian - So TX

[Mike Quinn]

>From TX-Butterfly Listserver:

---FWD---

Date:         Sat, 17 Apr 1999
Sender: Audubon Texas butterfly discussion <TX-BUTTERFLY at LIST.AUDUBON.ORG>
From: Mike Quinn <mqnature at hiline.net>
Subject:      Banded Orange Heliconian - So TX

Banded Orange Heliconian *Dryadula phaetusa*

TEXAS: Hidalgo Co.,
Audubon Center
11 April 1999
Lehman & Lindsay

On Sunday, 11 April 1999, Richard Lehman, Audubon Center Director, and
Madge Lindsay, World Birding Center Project Leader, both observed a large
orange and black banded butterfly that they recognized as a non-Julia
Heliconian. Later, they both confidently identified it as a Banded Orange
Heliconian *Dryadula phaetusa* from Opler's "A Field Guide to Eastern
Butterflies."

I first suggested their sighting might have been of the more common
Isabella Heliconian *Eueides isabella* but they rejected that as a
possibility as there was no yellow in the forewings. No yellow in the
forewings also negates the possibility of Tiger Mimic-Queen *Lycorea
cleobaea*.

Now before everyone starts to arguing, I must also report that a well known
lepidopterist believes she observed and photographed the same species at
the Santa Ana NWR Butterfly Garden on 15 April, 1999!!! I will pass on more
details of this second sighting when her film comes back from the developer
on the 20th. I am mentioning it now to alert other butterfliers in the area
to keep an eye out.

The SANWR Butterfly garden is 10 miles to the southwest of the Audubon
Center at 12th and Texas Blvd. in Weslaco.

        Here's what the guides say in chronological order for this species:

Kimball, 1965, (The Lepidoptera of Florida): "The records for this species
do not appear sound, although they may be perfectly valid. The fact that a
total of fourteen specimens were collected at two different localities on
two different dates, but that no other collector has ever seen the insect,
indicates the need for more substantiation. IV. [VI ?] Miami: Feb. 21,
1932, (Grimshawe). LACM. VIII. Key Largo: Feb. 10, 1932, (Grimshawe), LACM."

Scott, 1986: "Many flights all year in Mex.; a rare stray from Mex. into s
Fla. (Feb. 1932, 1947) and s Tex. (Dec. 1933). Adults are fairly local, but
migration sometimes occurs."

de la Maza & de la Maza, 1987: "Selva perennifolia y subperennifolia,
principalmente en terrenos perturbados, en los estados de Veracruz (Fortin,
El Vigia, Dos Amates), Oaxaca ... , Chiapas ... , y Guerrero ... . Mayo a
agosto."

Opler & Malikul, 1992: "Flight: All year in tropics; July, Dec. in Tex.
Range: Tropical America from cen. Mexico south to Brazil. Rare vagrant
north to Texas and Kans." No records are listed for Florida.

Minno & Emmel, 1993, (Butterflies of the Florida Keys): "Status: Kimball
(1965) located several individuals of this species from Key Largo in the
Los Angeles County Museum (10 February 1932, Grimshawe). These specimens
are probably mislabeled, but it is possible that the Banded Orange could
have been temporarily established as that time. There are no recent records
of *D. phaetisa* from Florida."

Stanford & Opler, 1993, (Atlas of Western USA Butterflies) shows two Texas
county records and one from Kansas. No records are shown for any Mexican
state bordering the US.

Neck, 1996: "Collected near Sarita in Kenedy Co., (1933) after severe
hurricane; another record from Garland in Dallas Co. (1981).

Club de Observadores de Mariposas, PAPALOTL. 1998. Butterfly Checklist from
Monterrey, N. L., Mex. Does not list this species.

1999. The Lepidopterists' Society, Season Summary Query Results.
http://pubweb.ent.msu.edu/lepsocdb/taxaform.htm No records. (Database
established in 1995.)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Mike Quinn North American Butterfly Association - South Texas
<MQnature at hiline.net> 1708 Hunt Ave. Donna, TX 78537-2924
NABA-SOTX: http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabast/index.html

======================================
To unsubscribe, send the message SIGNOFF TX-BUTTERFLY to
LISTSERV at LIST.AUDUBON.ORG
To change to the daily digest, send the message SET TX-BUTTERFLY DIGEST to
LISTSERV at LIST.AUDUBON.ORG
TX-BUTTERFLY archives: <http://www.audubon.org/listserv/tx-butterfly.html>
======================================