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Post by bluemoth on Jul 6, 2013 13:21:23 GMT -8
I new Giant Swallowtails were heading north. I used to have contact with Bedrose in Northridge CA and he said they were coming my way. What a surprise to know they are already shoing up north of Santa Cruz County ware I live. They must have flown up the warmer central valley instead of the cooler coast. I have not seen one yet here. Thanks for info on finding Faithfull Beauty Moths.
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Post by Zacatak on Jul 6, 2013 17:23:26 GMT -8
i can safely rule out that it was of the morpho genus, as i know quite well how morpho's fly because other than visiting butterfly houses, i have actually been to brazil and seen them flying in the wild.
this mystery butterfly had a constant flapping motion in its flight. and was quite powerful in flight. last year i was in byron bay australia catching Ornithoptera richmondia, and i can liken its flight similar to richmondia in the fact that it was very powerful in its wing strokes. however, i didn't get much time to study if it was a glider, or just a flapping species as you can imagine i ran very fast from the scene to grab my net as fast as possible. i doubt it was a papilio because new zealand doesnt have any species of papilio, and our winters are far too cold for anything to survive as exotic as those genus of butterflies are. my best possible guess is something from another country, but this is strange as it was mentioned that there is not many candidates for the description of what it could have been. i have a feeling it may have come from the Indonesian region. i can't discount this theory because i know for a fact from a local entomologist here in new zealand, Mr. George Gibs, that a vanessa gonerilla (new zealand red admiral) was found caught in the netting of a fishing boat a few miles off the coast of chile. that is quite remarkable considering a endemic butterfly from this country traveled halfway around the world. vanessa gonerilla is known for its powerful flight and it can fly long distances inside new zealand. i was quite amazed that a vanessa gonerilla had made that journey, and if this does happen from time to time, than we can see how new species can easily make a new home in foreign country. a few years ago the great white butterfly (Pieris brassicae) was found here, and now its established itself in the upper south island of new zealand, and here to stay as it seems, although many attempts to destroy it looks like its not working. papilio xuthus was found here once from a single specimen which a women saw hatching in a car dealers yard, its thought that the pupae had been attached to one of the Japanese cars in the yard, so that specimen i presume was reported and destroyed before it got free.
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leptraps
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Posts: 2,397
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Post by leptraps on Jul 7, 2013 12:33:39 GMT -8
I reared Composia fidelissima several times while living in south Florida. The larva feed on Devils Potatoe in the wild. Finding larvae was easy as they are "BRIGHT RED". However, it is easier to rear them on Oleander.
I never found Composia fidelissima north of Dade county. I never found it west of Dade County. It was abundant around Homestead, Florida and in the Keys.
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Post by paradesia on Jul 12, 2013 10:28:05 GMT -8
Multicaudata,
it was so long ago that I can not recall the flight behavior. I do remember going through my books on butterflies of Japan at the time and the closest butterfly that I could even consider was Hebomoia glaucippe, yet I do not recall seeing the orange tips. Moreover, H. glaucippe flies in southern Japan and I use to catch them during my years in Okinawa. It will be one of those puzzling encounters that escapes me.
By the way, I live in Washington state , and I'll respond to your post about collecting insects in this state. I have been the Fish and Wildlife office in Olympia and spoke to both the staff there and Mr. Gadwa. Give me a few days.
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