My Lycaenidae collection

One of the biggest subfamilies in Lycaenidae are the real blues, Polyommatinae. Obviously it is impossible to cram these into one drawer, currently Polyommatinae takes up 7 drawers of my cabinet, only Theclinae needs also as much space (also due to their larger size). They are organised as follows: Lysandra, Agrodiaetus, Plebejus etc., Polyommatus etc., Glaucopsyche etc., Jamides etc., and a junk drawer for any tropical Polyommatinae.

This junk drawer obviously has a big burden upon its shoulders as this subfamily is very diverse in Africa and Asia, and nearly absent from South America. Here is the beginning of the process, a huge mess, around 190 specimen:



I then spend 18 hours retyping my data labels into a proper file format, and identifying every single specimen in the drawer! I ended up with 51 different species and subspecies. I want to tell about a few of the highlights:

* Leptotes pirithous and Lampides boeticus from nearly all of their range. L. p.: DRC, La Réunion, Greece, Italy, Spain. L. b.: DRC, La Réunion, Italy, Greece, India, and Indonesia.

* There was a block of Prosotas, I had caught all of them in Java. I can still remember how this swarm of little butterflies was swarming around pieces of bark, like little flies. I was swinging my net through the swarm and packed the contents. Now, after 5 years I determined them, and I actually found 3 different species! Prosotas dubiosa subardates (Piepers & Snellen, 1918), Prosotas nora superdates (Fruhstorfer, 1916), Ionolyce helicon javanica Toxopeus, 1929.

* When determining things I used online resources, and came across pics taken by our user cabintom, thanks for all the work! The pics were a help!

* I seem to have the sister species of the Miami blue (Cyclargus thomasi) from Jamaica, Cyclargus shuturn K. Johnson & Bálint, 1995

* When looking at this drawer you will have seen 1% of all Lycaenidae worldwide.



Unfortunately there was no space left for Anthene, I will move these to some other drawer.

If anybody has any interest, or request, feel free to ask

I have heard talk of the old forum but I thought it was gone now. What is the difference. The old forum still looks active.
Tim

Hi cacicus, yes I also created the other thread after this one to see how they will develop. A lot of interesting questions I was glad to answer.

My setting skills also continuously increased, I have a few specimen from 2009, actually back then I destroyed many of them and put some larger series aside until I could develop better setting skills. Now I would say that I am very good at it and mostly happy with the result.

@tim, there was this forum here with older forum software. I cannot remember when that one started, I think 2000? Clark? I'm around since October 2008. In 2011 the software discontinued and no further updates were produced, then Clark switched to Proboards. In 2013 the old server finally crashed. The other forum, the ICF started sometimes earlier this year.

This bug is named after me and Thomas Turner. Despite my obvious affinity for the species, I've always doubted that it was a valid species. We thought it was C ammon when we first encountered the species.

www.researchgate.net/publication/267393587_Hemiargus_ammon_%28Lucas%29_a_new_butterfly_for_Jamaica_%28Lepidoptera_Lycaenidae%29

John

After reading John Shuey's comments on the Hemiargus/Cyclargus ammon, I will add my two cents into the discussion.

Having collected and reared all of the Hemiargus/Cyclargus that occurred in South Florida and the Florida Keys, I believe there are only two species. Both have seasonal (wet/dry) variations. Hemiargus thomasi bethunebaker and Hemiargus ammon. Both of the species were common at one time in the Keys. I only encounter Hemiargus ammon on the mainland once in Dade County, Florida. When the host plant, Cardiospermum halicacabum, for Hemiargus thomasi Bethunebakeri was eradicated as an exotic invasive in the mid-1990, it all but disappeared. About the same time, Hemiargus ammon was found on Pig Pine Key. Shortly there after Hemiargus thomasi bethunebakeri was found on Bahia Honda Key. The Miami Blue became endanger (??) I managed to obtain a female and reared it on smaller Cariospermum that I found at the IFAS Station in Dade County, Redlands, Florida. I suggested someone do the DNA and the uproar that followed, I back out and did not get involved. Shortly there after I moved to Kentucky.

During the Lep. Soc. annual meeting at Perdue University in West Lafayette, IN I was asked by someone (I will not mention any names here) if I ever found or collected any Hemiargus in the Florida Keys. The answer of course was yes. In October they got to see my specimens. They also wanted to keep them, that wasn't happening. Yes there are two species (or were) in the Florida Keys. Photographs of my specimens below. End of my comments.

One last note: The last location for the "Miami Blue" was trampled buy some fine folks wanting to see and take photographs of the Miami Blue. A year or so later I was told that the site was sprayed with a defoliant to kill the weeds and the supposedly host plant of the Miami Blue. Whether that is true or not I do not know. I do not know the current status of either species in Florida Keys or elsewhere.




Hemiargus thomasi bethunebakeri




Hemiargus ammon