Post by vabrou on Feb 8, 2022 7:08:07 GMT -8
Trehopr1, you asked me about my experience with two species named in the subject of this thread. Here is what I know. A little background first---
Eumorpha labruscae. In the USA, this species is common only in peninsular south Florida. Not as abundant, some have been captured in south Texas. In my state Louisiana, despite personally collecting about 200,000 adult hawkmoths over the past 53 years (1969-2022), I encountered none, zero, zip, nada..... Though, I have published a 30-consecutive year study of the Sphingidae of Louisiana. This monumental investigation involved the Sphingidae of Louisiana, covered the years (1970-1999) in which we personally reported capturing 83,889 adult Sphingidae specimens representing 46 species within the state of Louisiana.
In 1991 I had a 'heart attack' (myocardial infarction) and died moments after entering the emergency room at 0400 hours. It was after this event I realized what if I had not been saved, then all the fieldwork and records documented in my working manuscript over decades (unpublished at that time) would never have seen the light of day. So I attempted to get my data together and prepared over 2,200 phenograms involving year-long phenograms for most all species captured annually, and multiyear year-long composite phenograms for all species. The composite phenograms would be acceptable to publish in a scientific Journal, not 2,200 individual phenograms. This data accumulation and all graph preparation was done by hand (pen, ink and on very large 366-day paper graphs). This was done in the years mid-nineties (BC) before computers. So our 30 year sphingid study was published in two contiguous parts, a 26 year part Link: www.researchgate.net/publication/298661952_Distribution_and_phenologies_of_Louisiana_sphingidae followed by a four year addendum published in 2002. It was at the end of 1999 that we stopped counting and documenting all of our daily hawkmoth captures.
Much later (2011) we published a second addendum to the Sphingidae of Louisiana. South. Lepid. News 33: 140-144, covering new hawkmoth records for Louisiana including 4 color plates of adults freely accessible link: www.academia.edu/1509724/Second_addendum_to_the_Sphingidae_of_Louisiana
Though this specimen was captured several years before my study began in 1969, Eumorpha labruscae is included on the basis of a single female taken in 1964 at Houma, Terrebonne Parish by another collector (friend). That is the only known Louisiana record. During my research, I reviewed and restated all hawkmoth records in scientific literature going back to (von Reizenstein, 1863), the middle of the Civil War in the USA.
Now regarding Thysania zenobia, here is the link to my 2003 publication on that species. I have only captured 3 adults in the past 53 years in Louisiana. FREELY ACCESSIBLE Link: www.academia.edu/28030007/Ascalapha_odorata_L_and_Thysania_zenobia_Cram_in_Louisiana
Now you know the rest of the story. All of my entomological publications (438, to date) are freely accessible as downloadable pdfs on the web and numerous entomological related sites.
Vernon
Eumorpha labruscae. In the USA, this species is common only in peninsular south Florida. Not as abundant, some have been captured in south Texas. In my state Louisiana, despite personally collecting about 200,000 adult hawkmoths over the past 53 years (1969-2022), I encountered none, zero, zip, nada..... Though, I have published a 30-consecutive year study of the Sphingidae of Louisiana. This monumental investigation involved the Sphingidae of Louisiana, covered the years (1970-1999) in which we personally reported capturing 83,889 adult Sphingidae specimens representing 46 species within the state of Louisiana.
In 1991 I had a 'heart attack' (myocardial infarction) and died moments after entering the emergency room at 0400 hours. It was after this event I realized what if I had not been saved, then all the fieldwork and records documented in my working manuscript over decades (unpublished at that time) would never have seen the light of day. So I attempted to get my data together and prepared over 2,200 phenograms involving year-long phenograms for most all species captured annually, and multiyear year-long composite phenograms for all species. The composite phenograms would be acceptable to publish in a scientific Journal, not 2,200 individual phenograms. This data accumulation and all graph preparation was done by hand (pen, ink and on very large 366-day paper graphs). This was done in the years mid-nineties (BC) before computers. So our 30 year sphingid study was published in two contiguous parts, a 26 year part Link: www.researchgate.net/publication/298661952_Distribution_and_phenologies_of_Louisiana_sphingidae followed by a four year addendum published in 2002. It was at the end of 1999 that we stopped counting and documenting all of our daily hawkmoth captures.
Much later (2011) we published a second addendum to the Sphingidae of Louisiana. South. Lepid. News 33: 140-144, covering new hawkmoth records for Louisiana including 4 color plates of adults freely accessible link: www.academia.edu/1509724/Second_addendum_to_the_Sphingidae_of_Louisiana
Though this specimen was captured several years before my study began in 1969, Eumorpha labruscae is included on the basis of a single female taken in 1964 at Houma, Terrebonne Parish by another collector (friend). That is the only known Louisiana record. During my research, I reviewed and restated all hawkmoth records in scientific literature going back to (von Reizenstein, 1863), the middle of the Civil War in the USA.
Now regarding Thysania zenobia, here is the link to my 2003 publication on that species. I have only captured 3 adults in the past 53 years in Louisiana. FREELY ACCESSIBLE Link: www.academia.edu/28030007/Ascalapha_odorata_L_and_Thysania_zenobia_Cram_in_Louisiana
Now you know the rest of the story. All of my entomological publications (438, to date) are freely accessible as downloadable pdfs on the web and numerous entomological related sites.
Vernon
