Fw: What is a lepidopterist

[Guy Van de Poel & A. Kalus]

----- Original Message -----
From: Chris J. Durden <drdn at mail.utexas.edu>
To: Guy Van de Poel & A. Kalus <Guy_VdP at t-online.de>
Sent: vrijdag 1 februari 2002 18:19
Subject: Re: What is a lepidopterist


> Thank you Guy. That was the kind of response I was hoping for.
>     Does anyone know of a website that lists the places where collecting
> animals/ invertebrates/ insects/ lepidoptera/ butterflies is forbidden or
> regulated?
>     These days of easy travel (all it takes is money and a passport) there
> is a very real hazard to the tourist lepidopterist of unwitting exposure
to
> local laws. It would be most helpful if states, provinces, counties etc.
> that prohibit collecting were publicly identified. Then we
> lepidopterist/tourists could choose to avoid travelling there.
> ..............Chris Durden
>
> At 09:25 AM 2/1/2002 +0100, you wrote:
> >Hi Chris & all,
> >
> > >     In the interim, the collection of insect specimens has NOT been
> > > outlawed.
> >
> >Yet.
> >In Germany, 95% of the species occurring are protected, cannot be caught.
> >The ones that can be, are species like the Pieris, Inachis io, Aglais
> >urticae, the Vanessas.
> >In certain regions of Switzerland, collecting butterflies is completely
> >forbidden. In Spain (including the Canary Islands) no butterfly
(insects?)
> >at all can be taken: illegal. You can collect in Turkey, but you cannot
take
> >them out of the country.
> >I don't know about the other countries (I would be interested to know
about
> >Portugal - Eduardo ?). I know in Flanders it is illegal to have some
species
> >in your collection (e.g. Iphiclides podalirius). This butterfly is still
> >common around the Mediterranean, *but his range does not reach Flanders*
in
> >the north (though of course stragglers can come that far).
> >
> >In politics, when a certain species is threatened, it depends on the
threat
> >what will be done about it. Depending on how much money is involved, the
> >solution will be a real one, or just a cover-up.
> >We all know that if the caterpillars do not have anything to munch on any
> >more because of loss of habitat, it does not bring anything to forbid to
> >collect the adults.
> >And a nice cover-up is just that: if no-one can collect butterflies, less
> >people will be interested, and less threats will be reported on. And
> >'looking' at butterflies is good for the common species (that usually do
not
> >need protection), but several of the skippers are impossible to tell
apart
> >without catching them. The same goes for some rare Pierids (try and
> >distinguish Pieris mannii or ergane from P. rapae in flight).
> >Most of these laws do not really serve anything except to protect big
> >interests.
> >
> >Guy.
>
>


 
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