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Post by pittendrighinsects on Oct 14, 2012 15:54:21 GMT -8
I might go to New Caledonia during December, does anyone know if this is a good time to collect butterflies there? I f not, what would be a good place to collect in December? Thanks
Quintin Pittendrigh
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Post by lepidofrance on Oct 14, 2012 16:53:20 GMT -8
We thought about organizing an entomological trip in New Caledonia. We were finally forced to abandon  :-[due to the high price of airline tickets   . We were filled with local entomologists to set the best times. Here are their answers: Thierry : "Going back to your question about the comment period, in fact, January, February and March are the months of interest. From February, the rains begin to appear, it is certainly not good for the day, by cons for the night, it is excellent. I myself made the best hunting in a "drizzle"  . In any case here is more interesting to hunt at night in the rain, there was a lot more results. I think it is possible to arrange the trip for January-March, but you must book your tickets quickly! .... Usually when I go in France, I do it at least three months before, otherwise it's hard to get places. ' Alain: "The most favorable period for the collection of Lepidoptera is generally from January to May  , with a peak in March-April  . However, you must know that New Caledonia periods conducive to the collection of Lepidoptera are pretty random  . Depending on the year, the months shown are more or less favorable. It depends on the advance or delay of precipitation. This year, for example, collections of Lepidoptera have been good from March until June. ' Annexed the map of collection sites (listed in order of priority) where we wanted to stay. Attachments:
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Post by lepidofrance on Oct 14, 2012 17:03:00 GMT -8
Translation of the particulars on the map: 1. Reserve Col d'Amieu: Rainforest 2. Reserve Parc de la Rivière Bleue : Rainforest and mining scrub. 3. Reserve Mont Panié : Rainforest altitude. 4. Lifou Island: Coastal wet forest. 5. Tribal areas Yate and Goro : coastal forest. 6. Reserve Guaro-deva: Dry Forest and mesophilic. Hoping it would help ! Attachments:
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Post by wollastoni on Oct 15, 2012 1:20:28 GMT -8
If you catch Delias nysa caledonica Quintin on Lifu island, it will be a great catch ! One of the rarest Delias in collection !
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Post by Adam Cotton on Oct 15, 2012 9:13:35 GMT -8
I might go to New Caledonia during December, does anyone know if this is a good time to collect butterflies there? I f not, what would be a good place to collect in December? Thanks Quintin Pittendrigh How can a 14 year old from Illinois go to Spain and New Caledonia to collect butterflies? Enjoy it while you can, lucky lad! Adam. |
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Post by wolf on Oct 15, 2012 9:30:17 GMT -8
with family i presume?  New Caledonia however, seems like a very interessting place! |
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Post by wollastoni on Oct 15, 2012 9:31:26 GMT -8
Well as a kid I had the chance my parents brought me to Japan, La Reunion, Greece and other entomological paradises !
Those kind of trips for sure developed my passion for nature and entomology when I was a kid !
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Post by lepidofrance on Oct 15, 2012 9:50:29 GMT -8
I collected my first Parnassius apollo in Schwitzerland when I was 13 or 14 years old. I remember as it was yesterday !
Some days before, my father had drove me to the best entomological shop in Paris and offered me all the stuff for collecting and setting butterflies. At this time, this first butterfly net was very handsome made with three bamboo handles.
Unfortunately, thirty years after, this net was in my car when the car was stolen ...
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Post by pittendrighinsects on Oct 15, 2012 13:41:55 GMT -8
I might go to New Caledonia during December, does anyone know if this is a good time to collect butterflies there? I f not, what would be a good place to collect in December? Thanks Quintin Pittendrigh How can a 14 year old from Illinois go to Spain and New Caledonia to collect butterflies? Enjoy it while you can, lucky lad! Adam. The trip to New Caledonia I might do if the airline tickets are inexpensive, maybe if I can convince my parents (last year we went to Cancun for Spring break). I go to Spain every summer to visit family, and since I live in a forested area, I get to collect some very interesting species. The great thing about my area of Spain is that the higher elevations are forested and the lower ones are grassland/scrub, so I can collect Papilio machaon hispanicus in lower altitudes about 1/2 km from my house, then walk over to the chestnut forests and collect L. reducta, Colias crocea, and many rare woodland species. |
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Post by Zacatak on Oct 15, 2012 14:01:45 GMT -8
with family i presume? New Caledonia however, seems like a very interessting place! your sure right wolf i went to New Caledonia back in 2008, its a very beautiful place, especially the Isle Of Pines, what a sight! very tropical and one of the best places i have been to. i saw quite a few butterflies even during winter. i agree on seasons being favourable because some months can be quite a change in weather, i agree its a good idea to be in contact with locals or check weather forcasts before you head off as it would be prove valuable to increase your collecting chances. |
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Post by lepidofrance on Oct 15, 2012 14:02:55 GMT -8
The flight ticket from Paris to Noumea (and New Caledonia is still Franvce) turns around 3000 euros ! (cheapest price, checked this evening : 2700 euros ). From Illinois, I don't know but presume it's more expensive. Actually, from Paris to Noumea, it could be cheaper going first to Brisbane and then fly from Australia to New Caledonia . But, the french entomologists in New Caledonia advised me that you have to be very cautious about the australian customs if you carry collected butterflies, even collected abroad Australia . To avoid this problem, they use to go through the australian customs without insects, sending the collected butterflies by post from Noumea to Paris . |
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Post by prillbug4 on Oct 15, 2012 14:27:34 GMT -8
Don't overlook the beetle fauna in New Caledonia. I was identifying a batch of Cerambycidae from there through the Illinois Natural History Survey a few years ago. It's very unique and a few species are still unassigned to proper tribes.
Jeff Prill
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Post by pittendrighinsects on Oct 15, 2012 17:28:04 GMT -8
It seems that New Caledonia is out of the question, so what would be a good spot to collect during December (if not during Spring break-march)? I was thinking somewhere cheap, maybe Dominican Republic or Mexico. Thanks.
Quintin Pittendrigh
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Post by wollastoni on Oct 15, 2012 23:26:28 GMT -8
Quintin < collecting is banned in Mexico. Dominican Republic has a very interesting fauna, but if you collect in tourist area, you won't find rare specimens ... and if you go outside of those tourist "ghettos", it could be very unsafe. I would better go to Belize or French Guiana...
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Post by lepidofrance on Oct 16, 2012 0:22:01 GMT -8
Belize : links on interesting places there on the page : www.lepido-france.fr/2009/09/parides-brassolidae/I stayed several times in Belize : many nice places to collect and very interesting fauna. And after days spent in the rain forest, extraordinary coral islands and beaches. In size, the second coral barrier after the Great australian. Without speaking about maya ruins. Attachments:
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:-[due to the high price of airline tickets 
, with a peak in March-April 
. Depending on the year, the months shown are more or less favorable. It depends on the advance or delay of precipitation. This year, for example, collections of Lepidoptera have been good from March until June. '
