California tortoiseshells

[Stanley A. Gorodenski]

Ron makes a good point about sight records.  Unless one knows a species
by sight, sometimes impressions can be inaccurate.  By 'large', I meant
a wing span of about 3 inches or less, more to the 3 inch side than the
less side.  The yellow bars (one to each wing) seemed more in the
elongated wing direction.  The wings were definitely elongated and the
butterfly a fast flier.  These are the impressions I could glimpse from
a very fast flying butterfly.  A Papilio, of the kind distributed in
this mountain range, would be incapable of flying this fast.  I am
certain it was not a Megathymid. 
Stan 

Ron Gatrelle wrote:
> 
> No way --  "large fast flying ..."  H. charitonius is a "floater". It has a
> very weak flight even when frightened.  I would not call charitonius
> "large" either. The individual was either mistaken in saying large - fast,
> or what they saw was something along the lines of a dark Papilio and the
> yellow banding looked like a 'bar" in flight. This is a good case in point
> as to why sight records are not acceptable by amateurs.
> Ron
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "gwang" <gwang at mb.sympatico.ca>
> To: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
> Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2001 5:59 PM
> Subject: Re: California tortoiseshells
> 
> > Hi,
> > Those were probably Zebra longwings (Heliconius charitonius).
> >
> > Peace,
> > Xi Wang
> >
> > >some large fast flying butterflies with elongated
> > > wings and what looked like black with a yellow bar on the wings, and I
> > > saw what looked like a tortoiseshell.
> > > Stan
> >
> >
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