Papilio joannae

[Ron Gatrelle]

Thank you Larry for your post. Richard Heitzman and I were long time
correspondents and exchanged many specimens beginning in the late 60's.
(Several specimens figured in Howe ex Heitzman were actually collected by
myself.) I have firsthand knowledge about these breeding experiments also.
Heitzman's unpublished research only reaffirmed the specific uniqueness of
Papilio joanae. He communicated to me that is crosses with various machaon
subspecies produced infertility and mortality.
 
One post here would have us believe Heitzman's description of Papilio
joanae was some kind of knee jerk taxonomy. That individual surely knows
nothing of Richard Heitzman and his untiring study of Lepidoptera -
including the working out of the life history of many species. Joanae is
listed as a species in the Lep. Soc. updated list by Ferris and by Hodges
in the MONA list. Yet one individual has tried to lead us to believe that
joanae was not accepted by most as a species. It is a sad day when the
ignorant become the experts.
 
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Robinson" <lrobinsn at ix.netcom.com>
To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2001 10:00 AM
Subject: Re: Papilio joannae
 
 
> Many years ago, in my younger days, the early 80's, I collected with
> Richard Heitzman and in particular he took me to the topo site for
> Papilio joanae and together we collected fertile females for his
> rearing experiments.  His commitment to objectivity in this matter was
> admireable.
>
> I recall returning from one such adventure to find that a wind storm
> had blown down several trees in his yard in Independence, Missouri.
> Before he would take care of the hole in the house he first made sure
> his live specimens were cared for and nectared them so they would
> survive.
>
> Richard spent quite a bit of time conducting breeding experiments with
> specimens he had collected in the Ozarks and felt confident in his
> naming.  It will be interesting to see how history treats his
> contribution.
>
> Larry Robinson
> Olathe, KS
>
>
>
>
>
> On 23 Jan 2001 22:46:22 -0800, gatrelle at tils-ttr.org (Ron Gatrelle)
> wrote:
>
> >Anyone interested in a discussion of Papilio joanae (Missouri Ozark
Black
> >Swallowtail)? Why has it been blacklisted from much of butterfly
> >literature? My discussions with the late Richard Heitzman (who
> >discovered/described this) is that he felt it was most closely related
to P
> >bairdii or as some see it P. machaon bairdii. I know of no published
> >scientific paper in which joanae has been officially sunk into the
machaon
> >complex of subspecies. It can be found in Heitzman's 1987 Butterflies
and
> >Moths of Missouri.
> >
> >Ron
> >
> >
> >
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