"New butterfly species found in Northern Ireland" - 1st x in 112 yrs

[James Kruse]

on 12/5/01 3:37 AM, Anne Kilmer at viceroy at gate.net wrote:

> Oy. To the casual butterfly-spotter in Ireland, a greenish little white
> butterfly is a green-veined white, ho hum, and unless these guys have
> unusual size or behavior, we wouldn't look twice at them.
> Heck, they might even suppose it's a cabbage white, mightn't they?

Yes, and incorrectly so. Incorrect identifications bother some people and
not others.

> An active school butterfly-gardening program, of course, would turn out
> a lot of avid butterfly spotters, and they could learn to look for these
> little guys and distinguish them.

Yes, this-and-that active school programs have "turned out" all kinds.
Interesting way to look at outreach. The point is, I still haven't heard of
binoculars good enough to see genitalic characters (to name one possible
distinguishing feature, and usually a useful one), so maybe.

> But oh, don't you want the collectors to open their collecting trays and
> examine all those "wood whites" to determine their true identity?

Yes, that is the general idea. You see, it is this kind of mystery that has
drawn me to systematics in the first place. I happen to be interested in
biodiversity that is not so easily seen, yet nonetheless there.
If you don't like this aspect of lepidopterology, you are still able to
enjoy your hobby the way you'd like to. You may be content to see a white
butterfly and automatically think it is a wood white. I am not.

> I wonder, can you make a proper identification of this bug from a good
> photograph? I mean, might nature photographers find pictures of it among
> their "wood whites"?

Oh no, what if you can't? Someone better get on it! It can't be! Breathe
slowly, must find paper bag...

Jim


 
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