Society Meeting Of February 24, 1993 - Some Other Interesting Things You Can Do With Genitalia (Lepidoptera - Hesperiidae)

2 Pages·1993·0.8 MB·English

by  J K Gelhaus

Vol. 104,No.4, September&October, 1993 215
pertinentreferences.Twoappendicesinthebackofthebooklistallthetaxa(generallyto
family level) known from Mexican and Domincan amber (lists for Baltic amber have
appeared elsewhere). This taxon-based section ofthe book is well illustrated with high
quality photographs ofthe organisms; the eight color plates are particularly striking.
Poinar's stated goal is to inform researchers of relevant organisms in amber and to
encouragethese scientists to incorporate these specimens intotheirsystematic andbio-
geographic studies,and thisbookis successful inpresentingtheinformation.
Thelastsection(about30pages)concerns amberinclusions indiscussionsofpaleo-
symbiosis,extinction,biogeographyandprospectsformolecularstudies.Ofsomedisap-
pointmenttomeisthesectionentitled"ReconstructingAncientLandscapes,"ameretwo
pages ofverygeneral information. This again may reflect upon the lackofinformation
publishedonthesubject,andthedifficultiesofutilizinganyparticulardepositofamberas
a meaningful sampleoftheecologyofthattimeperiod.
ThebookLesfantomesdeiambredelvesdeeplyintothelargestdepositsofamber,those
oftheBalticregion,andwasproducedasacompanionvolumetotheexhibitofthesame
namepresentlyondisplayatthe Museed'histoire naturelle in Neufchatel, Switzerland.
Although thetextisin French,whichwill,unfortunately,reduceitsaudienceherein the
States, this book is visually beautiful, profusely illustrated with magnificent colored
photographsinterspersedwithattractivelineillustrationswhichtranscendanylanguage.
The firstchapter, by Haenni and Dufour, details the history ofBaltic amberand man
(whichonefindsoutextendsatleastbacktoNeolithictimes),andalsodiscussedthecon-
tinuinguseofamberinart,industry,andmedicine.Awellillustratedsectionshowshow
theamberisfoundandmined.Theremainderofthebook,bytheKrzeminskis,detailsthe
formationoftheBalticdeposits,characteristicsofamber,anditsinclusions;thetaxaare
discussedingeneralecologicalgroupssuchaspredators,parasitesandaquaticinsects.As
adipteristmyself,onefactjumpedoutatme:oftheBalticamberinclusions,about90%are
insects,and70%oftheseareDipteral Concludingthebookisa smallsectiondiscussing
preparationofamberforscientific studyandonconservation.
Foranyoneinterestedinamber,orinsectfossilsingeneral,Ihighlyrecommendbothof
thesevery attractive, informativebooks.
Jon FCGelhaus,Dept.of
Entomology,AcademyofNatural Sciences
SOCIETY MEETING OF FEBRUARY 24, 1993
SOME OTHERINTERESTINGTHINGS YOU CAN DO WITH GENITALIA
(LEPIDOPTERA: HESPERJIDAE)
John M. Burns
Smithsonian Institution,Washington, D.C.
The February meetingmarked the openingofthe 134th year ofthe Society, and the
night'spresentationreflectedtheSociety'slonghistoryandconcentrationinevolutionary
and systematic research punctuated with witty and entertaining poems on biological
themes. Dr.John M. Burns,well known forhismanypublicationson thesystematicsof
skipperbutterflies,isalsoapublishedpoet.Hisworkshaveappearedinsuchjournalsas
Nature,PerspectivesinBiologyandMedicine, andTheBulletinoftheEntomologicalSocietyof
AmericaandhavebeencollectedinabookcalledBioGraffiti:ANaturalSelection(published
byW.W. Norton).
ENTOMOLOGICALNEWS
216
Althoughthemalegenitaliaofskippershadbeenstudiedandillustratedbysomeearly
lepidopterists(mostnotablySkinnerandWilliamsin the 1920'swhileattheAcademyof
Natural Sciences),neitherthey northierimmediate successors fullygrasped the signifi-
canceofthesecomplexstructures forunderstandingskipperevolution. Dr. Burns'stalk
centeredonNorthAmericanskippersandshowedwithnumerousexampleshowacareful
studyofthegenitaliainbothsexescanpromotea finescaleunderstandingofgeographic
variation, speciation mechanisms, and higher level groupings, as well as overall better
taxonomy.
Workinginitially with American speciesofthegenusErynnis (dusky-wingskippers),
which are individually narrowin theirchoice oflarval foodbutcollectivelydiverse. Dr.
Burnssetouttofindevidenceofsympatricspeciation.However,usingvariousbiologicand
morphologic characters (especially ones drawn from the remarkably asymmetric male
and femalegenitalia), hearrangedtheseskippersingroup aftergroupofcloselyrelated,
geographicallycomplementaryformsreflectingallopattricspeciation.Inaddition Burns
foundthatastrikingwhitefringeonthehindwingevolvedeighttimesindependentlywith
thegenus,alwaysinthosedifferentiates(speciesorsubspecies)occurringintheAmerican
Southwestand/orMexico.
A 1936 monograph on Autochton cellus (the gold-banded skipper) pronounced it
"unusuallyuniforminitscharacters...throughoutitsrange."Becausethisisawidespread
skipper(Pennsylvania to El Salvador)with a largegapin the middleofits range. Burns
predicted and then used male and female genitalic characters to demonstrate allo-
patricdifferentiation,nearlytothepointofspeciation.Detailedgeographicandgenitalic
analysesofpairsofso-called subspeciesshowed,inAlrylonopsis, thatoviniaandedwardsi
are actually separate sister species, closely allopatric and therefore best grouped in a
superspecies;and,in Wallengrenia, thatotho andegeremetarereallyverydistinctspecies,
differingconsiderablyin rangebutbroadlysympatric inthesoutheasternUnited States,
where theyare alsosynchronic.
Whencriticallystudiedandcompared,genitaliaareeverybitasvaluableforgrouping
related species in higher categories like genera and generic groups as they are for dis-
tinguishingspecies. In recentyears Burns hasbeengenitalicallyreviewingNearctic hes-
periineskippers,awell-studied faunawhoselong-stablegeneraaregainingwhathecalls
"authority through repetition" in a flood ofstate, seminational, and national butterfly
books and checklists. As it turns out, many of these genera are polyphyletic. Burns
explained howand whyhe haschangedgenericlimitsinhesperia,Atalopeds, Poanes, and
Paratrytone, and notedcertain biogeographic resultsofthesechanges.
A
Consistentwiththetimeofyear,therewerefewnotesofentomologicalinterest. dis-
cussion centered on the insects living on the pitcher-plant, Sarracenia purpurea. and
HowardBoydobservedthatatleast16speciesoccurregularlyinandaroundtheseplants.
Therewere33 members andguests in attendance.
Jon K. Gelhaus.CorrespondingSecretary