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Post by cabintom on Dec 27, 2013 6:59:01 GMT -8
Caught earlier this month. Was sitting on the wall of an office building here on the property. We had electricity for most of the night apparently... doesn't happen all that often... anyways, now I'll be checking that wall every morning the security lights are on.
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Post by cabintom on Dec 26, 2013 2:36:40 GMT -8
Thanks Adam & Jean-Marc! I really appreciate the help.
Tom
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Post by cabintom on Dec 23, 2013 20:17:27 GMT -8
Yeah, couldn't get a good picture. From the side, the tip of the abdomen looks very well rounded though.
Tom
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Post by cabintom on Dec 23, 2013 8:37:41 GMT -8
Sure thing! I'll get photos up when I can. Thanks!
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Post by cabintom on Dec 22, 2013 19:45:55 GMT -8
This was caught earlier this month in the Ituri Rainforest, Orientale Province, DRC. Thanks in advance! Tom
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Post by cabintom on Dec 22, 2013 19:41:21 GMT -8
If you are collecting at night and encounter any Saturniidae, I can probably help you with identifications of those. Thanks!!! Collecting at night is near impossible here in the city due to security concerns and a usual lack of electricity, but as I type this I'm waiting for the sky to brighten up enough to be able to go check if anything was attracted to the lights of a small office building here on the property. I haven't managed to catch much this way (perhaps obviously) but it is fun to see if anything is sitting there. Tom
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Post by cabintom on Dec 22, 2013 13:46:44 GMT -8
The thing I most wish was on data labels, is the "best guess at habitat type" (aka biotope as Europeans refer to it). It doesn't have to be a technical description of habitat, but terms like "rd thru primary forest", "swamp forest", open grassland, savanna, swamp, etc, disturbed forest, pasture, and so on, will really help people who use the specimens in the future. Especially in developing countries, where your forest of today is likely to become an agricultural field 50 years from now, it helps nail down what habitats the bugs were using when you found them. John I've been trying to record data of that sort... though I must admit I'm having some difficulty. The city where I live is basically a large conglomeration of houses, empty lots (fields grown wild or groups of usually less than 10 trees), or farmed plots. So when I capture a butterfly near my home, the data I record usually ends up something along the lines of, "yard, in shade of trees" or "perched on plant in vegetable garden" or "amongst cornstalks next to wooded area". Perhaps these are a bit too specific. Outside the city, describing the habitat is quite a bit easier. Anyways, until I get myself some display cases built (I'm storing my collection in what amounts to tupperware) this is how I'm recording data:
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Post by cabintom on Dec 22, 2013 11:20:05 GMT -8
Also, today while reviewing the photo records I've been keeping, I think things have become more complicated... I'm now wondering is this 1, 2, or 3 species? I believe the top specimen to be Bicyclus vulgaris... as for the other 2, I'm not certain. I've caught 3 individuals similar to the middle specimen. They all feature the same lighter/yellowish postdiscal "smudge" on dorsal forewings. 2 out of the 3 have an additional, albeit much smaller, subapical ocellus on the ventral forewings (faintly seen on the individual pictured, but not at all found on any of the specimens I believe to be B. vulgaris). Additionally, the ventral colouration seems to be much more "mottled" (I think that's the word I'm looking for) than that of what I assume to be B. vulgaris. I've only captured the one like the last specimen. Not one other has had ocelli on the dorsal side. All 3 were caught within a span of 2 weeks from mid to late November. I'm not sure why I'm posting this exactly... since it doesn't seem anyone here is able to help, lol... maybe just looking for a sympathetic ear. Tom
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Post by cabintom on Dec 22, 2013 10:52:25 GMT -8
I've been collecting specimens from both sets of photos at the same time, so I'm quite positive they're different species... seasonal forms are going to make identifying these things much more difficult though... that might be why finding consistent reference photos has been so difficult.
Anyways, from what I've read "Mycalesis safitza" and "Mycalesis vulgaris" are synonyms of B. safitza and B. vulgaris, respectively. I'm not sure why they were split into a different genera.
Edit: I was curious... apparently: "Mycalesis differs from Bicyclus by the presence of hairy eyes" (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/172)
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Post by cabintom on Dec 20, 2013 20:51:45 GMT -8
Upon arriving in Africa about 4 months ago, I took up collecting butterflies and moths... and I am quickly realizing I have a lot to learn.
So a few questions, if you don't mind!
1) What constitutes "good data" when collecting? I'm currently recording: - location of capture. (though I'm not certain how specific I should be). - Approximate time of day/ - Weather (sunny, cloudy, etc.) - Terrain/vegetation at site of capture. - General notes of the individual's behaviour. (ie. "Perched on plant in vegetable garden.", "Mud puddling at road side.")
2) What are some general attributes I can use to distinguish between sexes of a species? I know some species have different colouration and patterning that help distinguish, but, say with Nymphalidae, how do I differentiate easily?
3) Is there any "authority" or perhaps society to whom I should be reporting my data? There doesn't seem to be too much information about butterflies specifically from Eastern DRC, so if I can contribute in any way... that would be cool. In 4 months of collecting, in my spare time, I believe I've captured nearly 80 different species from in and around the city alone... and some of these aren't lining up with the information that I've found on the internet. (For example, the flight times I've read for Neptis serena say they fly in January and between April and October, but I'm fairly certain - several Neptis species here are quite similar - that I've caught a couple individuals earlier this month.)
Any other advice or tips you could give would also be appreciated! I've really enjoyed "lurking" on this forum and learning from everything you all are posting.
Tom (located in the city of Bunia, Ituri region, DRC)
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Post by cabintom on Dec 20, 2013 20:23:49 GMT -8
So, I think I'm about 75% positive the first species is Bicyclus vulgaris, and the second seems to be Bicyclus safitza.
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Post by cabintom on Dec 9, 2013 20:25:54 GMT -8
I guess I'm not the only who has a hard time with these.
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Post by cabintom on Dec 6, 2013 21:24:24 GMT -8
Much thanks to you both!
Tom
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Post by cabintom on Dec 6, 2013 6:54:31 GMT -8
From what I can see it is probably Papilio chrapkowskii. Adam. Thanks Adam! Is there a feature in particular that causes you to lean towards that identification? I'm hoping to eventually be able to identify these on my own. lol Originally I was thinking P. chrapkowskoides, then P. sosia, then I was very confused... but it seems perhaps everyone is confused by this particular group of butterflies. Tom
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Post by cabintom on Dec 6, 2013 5:23:38 GMT -8
These were also caught in NE DRC (Bunia). Once again I'm assuming these are all one species... perhaps Bicyclus safitza? But I've seen too many pictures of B. safitza that differ significantly from these to feel confident that that is the correct identification. Tom
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