September 2009
Dear Butterfly Net
SABCA butterfly morning, Harold Porter Botanical Gardens, Bettys Bay, 31 October 2009
The SABCA morning at the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens starts at 9.30am on Saturday 31 October. There will be various presentations given by the SABCA Project Coordinator and members of the LepSoc Western Cape branch until about 11am (e.g. SABCA overview, SABCA field surveys, butterflies of the region, butterfly slide show). Following the presentations, LepSoc will take us for a walk through the gardens to look for and survey the butterflies there. Come along and join us for a morning that is sure to be full of fun!
SABCA evening, Botanical Gardens, Pietermaritzburg, 17 July 2009
LepSoc hosted a SABCA evening at the Pietermaritzburg Botanical Gardens. It was a great evening, with about 60 people attending the evening, and many faces were put to names.
LepSoc AGM and Annual Conference, Pietermaritzburg, 18-19 July 2009
The LepSoc conference and AGM took place at the John Bews Hall, University of KZN, Pietermaritzburg Campus. Many interesting lepidopteran talks were presented by LepSoc members and the photographic competition was of top quality.
SANBI Biodiversity Expo, Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, Roodepoort, 19-20 September 2009
A LepSoc and SABCA stand was exhibited at the SANBI Biodiversity Expo.
The virtual museum has received just over 8 800 photographic records. Thank you to those of you who have made so many contributions. Please keep on submitting your photos! Remember our competition - for more info click here.
We welcome on board the following new members of the ID panel: Jenny Norman, Harald Selb, Dave Edge, Brian Plowes, Lizelle Plowes, Peter Webb, Chris Willis, Andrew Morton. With their assistance the IDs will go much quicker. We thank all ID panel members for volunteering their time to ID the photographs!
Please click on the Public participation link to obtain instructions on how photos should be submitted.
N.B. Here follow some extra points to remember when submitting photos, which will help us to process your submissions a little faster:
**1) Please take care when giving coordinate values. There are two different formats, the one format uses spaces (i.e. degrees, minutes and seconds format) and the second format uses points (i.e. decimal degrees or decimal minutes). Do not replace points with spaces, or spaces with points. It is very important that you give the coordinates as given on your gps, as this helps us to know when and how to convert them. Please click here to learn more about coordinates and their various formats.
**2) Please do not submit photos of the SAME butterfly species from the SAME locality as separate records. If you are unsure that two separate butterfly pictures belong to the same species, then you can submit these separately. But if it is obvious that two or more different photos from the same locality are of the same species, then only submit ONE record, not two or more. This will greatly help reduce the workload for the ID panel, and thus they will be able to get through the online photo IDs much faster. Rather aim for the following:
(a) Get photos of the same butterfly species from different localities, or
(b) Get photos of different species of butterflies from the same locality.
However, because we are also interested in trends over time, you may submit photos of the same species from the same locality, provided that the photos are taken 1-2 weeks apart.
3) Please do not submit more than three photos per submission. Choose the photo(s) which best display the upper and under sides of the wings. Do not submit two or more similar looking photos.
4) Please do not submit photos of different butterfly species as one submission, rather these should be submitted separately.
We still have many gaps for Northern Cape, North West and Free State provinces, as well as Lesotho and Swaziland! Please help us fill in these gaps:
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(1) In the coverage map below, please target the quarter degree grid squares which are blank, i.e. those squares that do NOT have a blue dot (blue dot = virtual museum record) or an orange square (orange = non-virtual museum record, either from a collection or field survey). Only 48% of the quarter degree grid squares in the atlas region have data, leaving 52% (or 1 054 quarter degree grid squares) as blank squares, our gaps. We need you to help us fill these gaps. (Please click here to find out what is a quarter degree grid square) |
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(NB: this is a real time coverage map.) |
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(2) In the species richness map below, please target the quarter degree grid squares which are NOT blue or purple in colour. For these non-blue and non-purple squares we do not have enough records of the different species that occur there, i.e. they are currently species-poor squares. We need your help to improve the species counts (richness) for these cells. So, when you are at a locality, please try get photos of as many of the different species that occur there, which may mean that you would have to spend some time looking around to survey the area properly. |
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(NB: this is a real time species richness map.) |
SABCA would like to thank the following citizen scientists for their contributions during the past three months - some of the most recent submissions have not been processed yet and thus have not been considered here (see previous newsletters for previous contributions):
As determined by our ID expert panel, here follow a selection of interesting records or great photos received recently:
 Good record. RA Dobson Gnophodes betsimena diversa Yellow-banded evening brown |
 Strange form. P webb Colotis erone Coast purple tip |
 First for virtual museum. A Kruger Eagris nottoana nottoana Rufous-winged elfin |
 Good record. G Diedericks Sevenia morantii Morant's tree nymph |
 Good record. J Crocombe Tylopaedia sardonyx peringueyi King copper |
 Interesting butterfly.. J Crocombe Aloeides apicalis Pointed copper |
 Difficult to get close to. D Cowie Sevenia boisduvali boisduvali Boisduval's tree nymph |
 Difficult to photograph. P Webb Coeliades keithloa keithloa Red-tab policeman |
 Nice photo. K Fey Charaxes cithaeron cithaeron Blue-spotted charaxes |
 Good record. RA Dobson Iolaus silas Southern sapphire |
 Very nice photo. A Kruger Hypolimnas anthedon wahlbergi Variable diadem |
 Nice photo. G Diedericks Acraea caldarena caldarena Black-tipped acraea |
 Nice photo. A Kruger Azanus moriqua Black-bordered babul blue |
 Nice dry season form. P Webb Colotis danae annae Scarlet tip |
 Very nice flight shot. P Webb Belenois sp. A white. |
Laurenda van Breda, our full-time data technician, completed digitising two private collections, one in the Free State (Kroon collection) and one in Gauteng (Steele collection). She was back at UCT for a couple of months working on digitising some other collections as well as literature records. A week ago she left for the African Butterfly Research Institute in Kenya, where she will be based for two months to digitise as many of the southern Africa specimens as she can. SABCA would like to thank Doug Kroon and Bill Steele (LepSoc members) for allowing Laurenda access to their collections, as well as ABRI for hosting her two-month stay in Kenya.
The total number of records from historical collections uploaded into the SABCA database now stands at 48 500 (this does not include virtual museum and field survey records). However, we do believe the estimate of 450 000 is still too high and this will probably come down to about 300 000. Our priority at the moment is to get all museum data uploaded before tackling the final processing of private collections. Our aim is still to have most of the data that we currently have uploaded by the end of this year. The latest batch of records uploaded come from the East London, Durban Natural Science (Migdoll collection) and Natal Museums, as well as data from James Pryke's PhD research, a student of the University of Stellenbosch. All are thanked for contributing their data.
Thabo Phasoana has completed data capturer at the National Collection of Insects (Agricultural Research Council) in Pretoria and Daindree Naidoo has completed data capture of a new collection (Zwart collection) at the Durban Natural Science Museum - a number of specimens need to be identified at both institutes before we can finalise these databases. Gareth Nicholson helped complete data capture at the Albany Museum and Ernest Pringle of LepSoc is helping with the IDs there. Ian Sharp is helping to discover and digitise long forgotten (and hopefully not lost) collections up in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Americo Bonkewitz has contributed data from a butterfly and host-plant survey he conducted in Mkondeni, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. Americo writes: "Plants of the Caper family, such as Maerua, Cadaba and Capparis, account for most of the Pierids found in the Mkondeni dry bushveld. In 2007 a butterfly survey and a host-plant survey covering approximately 935ha of Mkondeni was commissioned by Guy Nicolson CC, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. The survey was part of a SEA study of the area and it served to demarcate the major conservation zones in Mkondeni. During the survey it was actively searched for butterfly host-plants (mainly trees and shrubs of the Families: Capparaceae, Rutaceae and Salvadoraceae). A total of 1310 specimens were recorded, labeled and measured (height and width). For the butterfly survey a total of 31 butterfly transect routes were established and visited monthly from July to December 2007. Within the transects there were recorded a total of 3052 butterflies corresponding to 69 species. A minimum of 60% of the butterflies recorded were Pierids. The study shows a high diversity of butterflies where plants of the Caper family occur in the dry bushveld and more stable throughout the year showing the greatest diversity during late spring. The presence of cattle is the major factor of delimiting the distribution of the Caper plants due to constant and intensive nibbling activity and trampling. In lands dedicated for cattle raising the Capparaceae plants were restricted in areas of high density of Acacia ataxacantha and where fences and stream edges do not allow access of livestock. Another problem observed was that the presence of the exotic creeper Indigo Berry (Passiflora suberosa) creates an overpopulation of Acraea oncaea in the area."
SABCA Acknowledgements
SABCA would not be possible without the support of a large number of institutions and the participation of numerous citizen scientists. Please click here to view our acknowledgements. (If I have (unintentionally) omitted anyone or any institution from the acknowledgements, please inform me)
SABCA data use terms
SABCA's website has a whole lot of information that you may want to use, e.g. maps, photos from the virtual museum, text. Please be aware that any use of information on the SABCA website must be acknowledged. Please click here to view our data use terms and our acknowledgement protocols.
ADU survey, suggestions and awareness pamphlet
The Animal Demograpy Unit (ADU) runs numerous citizen science projects, and has recently put together a pamphlet summarising what we do - this pamphlet is mainly aimed at school children and teachers but also serves as a quick summary for anyone. Please click here to download the pamphlet (1.7MB). Please distribute the pamphlet amongst your family, friends and colleagues.
THe ADU has an online survey to get a better understanding of the users of its website and its project participants. Please could I ask you all to complete the survey - it won't take you more than two minutes! To access the survey, please click here. If you wish to make suggestions on how the ADU websites can be improved, then please click here to send us your comments. Thank you!
New-look SABCA website
You may have noticed that SABCA's website has a new look. Thanks to Rene our IT assistant.
The Praying Mantis and its butterfly hideout
Ralda & Louis Heyns, keen contributors to the virtual museum, have the following fascinating story to report on, as observed during one of their butterflying trips:
During July 2009 we did a birding- and butterfly tour to Northern KwaZulu-Natal. Whilst in Eshowe we noticed some Green-veined Emperors and Pearl Emperors being about, but as usual flying at high speeds and sitting down at awkward places. The whole time we kept a watchful eye and hoped to find one of those places where they eat resin from a tree. In the picnic area at the Board Walk at Dlinza Forest, we noticed an Emperor flying into a small bush of about a meter high. Moving closer we found up to seven Emperors feeding on resin on the stem, and some feeding from the sap that dripped onto leaves. We got some nice close-up photographs. We heard the flutter of butterfly wings and as it was much more flutter than the normal fights that occur at such feeding places, we then noticed a Praying Mantis holding onto a fluttering Blue-spotted Emperor butterfly. This fight carried on for a minute or two and lucky/unlucky for the butterfly it escaped.
The Praying Mantis had by then retreated into the grass at the bottom of the bush. The butterfly struggled along on the grass as we noted that it's snout was missing and probably also did some nibbling on its lower body. Then we noticed some wings lying underneath the bush. We started to investigate and found the wings of three different species, i.e. Green-veined, Pearl and Blue-spotted Emperor. The afternoon photo session we took photos of four different species feeding and they did not even worry about our presence. At this stage we thought nothing odd about the number of species wings that were strewn around and those present. Light faded and we decided to return the next day.
At 09:00 the next morning, we were back at the bush. Butterflies that fed that early, were not emperors but a Pied Piper, a Natal Tree Nymph and an Evening Brown. As it started getting warmer, the Emperors arrived. A while later, we noticed the Praying Mantis coming out of its hiding place in the grass, only making 'leafy' movements when the wind stirred, otherwise acting like a dead leaf. The Mantis approached the butterflies on the main stem of the bush by weaving through smaller branches and hiding behind leaves. At this stage, the closest butterfly to it was a Silver-barred Emperor and it was facing head-on with the Mantis. The two came about 1cm apart and we could not understand that the butterfly did not see the Mantis and fly or retreat. The Silver Barred then turned slightly sideways and the Mantis swerved away.
The Mantis then carried on up the branch and started to stalk a Blue-spotted Emperor. It suddenly grabbed the butterfly with its claws and immediately with its mouth held the front two wings together. The Mantes shifted its position and turned the butterfly almost upside down with the claw firmly around the body of the butterfly. The butterfly started to flutter but to no avail, it was held firmly. The Mantis started to feed immediately while the poor Blue-spotted Emperor still fluttered its wings. After we discussed the whole situation, we realized that the Silver-barred Emperor scared the Mantis away and this must be the norm because none of the Silver-barred Emperors wings were lying around. Is it the much more reddish outer wing colour of the Silver-barred Emperor that scared the Mantis off, or does this species maybe have a bad taste??? Quite an awesome experience to watch and with all the adrenalin and excitement we did not manage to take award winning photos, instead we both contracted tickbite fever while laying down on our stomachs on the grass!
Please remember to visit the SABCA website for previous newsletters and extra information:
http://butterflies.adu.org.za
Thank you all for your interest and participation!
Silvia Mecenero
SABCA Project Coordinator
Email:
Tel: 021 650 3426
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Last updated: June 2008.
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