Newsletter

NEWSLETTER
of the

Wisconsin Entomological Society

Volume 16, Number 1

Les Ferge, Editor

March 1989

NEXT MEETING IN MILWAUKEE ON APRIL 1.

The next meeting of the Wisconsin Entomological Society is scheduled for
1:30 PM on Saturday, April 1 at the Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St.
The Museum is easily reached via 1-94 from Madison. Take the 7th St. -Civic
Center exit and follow 7th St. north for three blocks to Wells St. and the
Museum. Parking is available at several nearby facilities. For those coming
to Milwaukee from the north, the Museum is easily reached via 1-43 and the
Wells St. exit. Please check in with the Security staff in the main lobby to
be admitted.

PRESIDENT'S NOTES Phil Pellitteri

The program for the upcoming meeting promises to be another good one.
Included will be two speakers from the University of Wisconsin Entomology Dept.
"Swallowtails and Foodplants" will be presented by Rick Lindroth, and Greg
Henderson will speak on "Prairie Ants." A slide presentation on butterfly
gardening will also be shown. We will try to allow ample time to visit the
Museum insect collection. An informal dinner at a nearby restaurant is also
planned for after the meeting. If you have something that you would like to
include on the program, contact me at the Dept, of Entomology, University of
Wisconsin, Madison WI 53706 or phone (608) 262-6510.

The November meeting was a real barn-burner! The Annual Photo Salon had
a good number of entries, and the ultimate winning slide was submitted by a
new member, Bruce Edinger. The winner was a shot of both immature and adult
Burying Beetles tending a "mouse ball." There were 25 slides submitted in all,
and I think this was the best collection yet. In addition to the scheduled
talks on cranberry insects by Rose Kachadorian and my review of 1988 insect
happenings, Greg Lintereur gave us an update on the Wisconsin forest insect
situation, and Bill Smith of the DNR's Bureau of . Endangered Resources gave us
an update of work on the Natural Heritage Inventory.

The election of officers for 1989 was also on the agenda. The slate of
candidates included myself for President, Wally Kmentt for Vice-President,

Carol Ferge for Secretary and Bob Borth for Treasurer. Since no further
nominations were received, the candidates were elected by a voice vote.

The Newsletter of the Wisconsin Entomological Society is published three times a year, at irregular
intervals. It is provided to encourage and facilitate the exchange of information by the membership, and
to keep the members informed of the activities of the organization. Members are strongly encouraged to
contribute items for inclusion in the Newsletter. Please send all news items, notes, new or interesting
insect records, season summaries, research requests etc. to the editor: Les Ferge, 7119 Hubbard Avenue,

Middleton, WI 53562.

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The warm January was a fitting end to the crazy season of 1988. Any '*
comments about box elder bugs have, become forbidden words in my home. During
the last warm spell, my office phone was as busy as it gets in July; I am
amazed by the new behaviors I have heard about from these little devils. One
person reported that an adult spent about 15 minutes feeding on a cooked
green pea (a new host record?), while a certain 18 month old child has become
fond of eating them (the bugs, not the peas), much to the dismay of his parents.

The recent interest in butterfly gardening has generated an informal
meeting of people from around the state having an interest in Lepidoptera. A
slide set is being developed to introduce the subject. It is exciting because
it exposes a whole new group of people to the concepts of butterfly habitat
needs, butterfly conservation, and it offers an opportunity to introduce people
to the work of the Wisconsin Entomological Society, the Xerces Society and the
Lepidopterists’ Society.

INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION ISSUES EXPLORED Ann Swengel

Issues in invertebrate conservation were included in the Fifth World
Conference on Breeding Endangered Species in Captivity, which met in Cincinnati
9-12 October 1988. Zoo directors and employees, private breeders, conservation-
ists and field researchers from around the world attended this conference.

Michael Robinson presented a paper addressing the concerns of invertebrate
conservation as a whole. He is director of the National Zoological Park in
Washington, D. C. and former deputy director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research
Institute in Panama. He emphasized the enormity of the situation: Invertebrates

overwhelmingly dominate biodiversity and biomass on earth. He also pointed out
that there are far too many invertebrates to conserve them individually , species
by species. He strongly advocated efforts to preserve habitat.

Robert M. Pyle presented an evening slide program on butterfly conservation.
He is the author of several books on butterflies, and is a founder of the Xerces
Society, an organization devoted to the conservation of invertebrates. He
highlighted efforts to re-establish extirpated butterflies in Great Britain, and
explained butterfly farming in southeast Asia — native farmers rearing butterflies
in a regulated manner for the international specimen trade.

An informal workshop convened after Pyle’s inspiring talk to discuss specific
methods for tackling the formidable problems of invertebrate conservation. The
role of zoos in educating the public through butterfly houses, gardens and
invertebrate displays was discussed. The consensus of the group was that,
although zoos should consider developing or cooperating with a program to breed
an endangered invertebrate in captivity, this cannot be the main approach to
invertebrate conservation. Rather, such a breeding program should be applied
only to ’’flagship species, ’’ and the major efforts of invertebrate conservation
should concentrate on habitat preservation and public education.

I attended this conference with my husband, Scott Swengel. He works at the
International Crane Foundation, which breeds endangered cranes in captivity. We
are heartened to find invertebrate conservation receiving attention outside the
small circle of amateurs and scientists devoted to invertebrate study and
preservation. We are pleased that people normally restricting their thinking
and concern to vertebrates are now awakening to the plight and importance of
invertebrate conservation.

-3-

DUES REMINDER

A considerable number of members have not yet paid their dues for 1989.

Another dues envelope is being included in this Newsletter for the convenience
of those listed as not paid as of 8 January. Your prompt attention to this
will be most appreciated, and will assure that you will continue to receive
Society publications. Send dues to the Treasurer: Bob Borth, 6926 N. Belmont La.,
Fox Point, WI 53217.

FIELD TRIP PLANNED FOR NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN

A spring field trip is tentatively scheduled for 26-28 May (Memorial Day
weekend) near Gordon in Douglas County. Jim Knudson, a W. E. S. member now
living in Duluth, has' a cabin on Whitefish Lake and has offered to host the
field trip. Beside the opportunities for collecting and observation around
Jim’s cabin, there are extensive areas of bog and barrens habitat within a few
miles that should have a very good diversity of northern Lepidoptera on the
wing at that time. Whitefish Lake and the nearby St. Croix River offer good
opportunities for aquatic insects. Further details and directions will appear
in the next Newsletter.

1988 WISCONSIN LEPIDOPTERA SEASON SUMMARY Les Ferge

Contributors : George Balogh (GB) , Cathy Bleser (CB), Su Borkin (SB), Robert

Borth (RB), Carol Ferge (CF), Les Ferge (LF), Hugo Kons Jr. (HK) , Karl Legler (KL),
Jim Parkinson (JP), Clark Schultz (CS), Ann Swengel (AS), Raymond Sullivan (RS),

Jim Wiker ( JW) . .

The appearance of spring-emerging butterfly species was a bit advanced
from "normal” but not as early as last year. Drought conditions and record-
breaking heat were the rule for much of the season, with relief coming in late
August and September. In general, numbers of butterflies and moths were down
considerably, yet many noteworthy species were reported. It appeared that the
effects of the drought were less severe in parts of northern Wisconsin. In
particular, the Bayfield Penninsula seemed little effected, with good numbers
of Lepidoptera noted. The season ended early and rather abruptly, with little
activity noted after early October.

The most unusual event of the season was the
extensive outbreak of Pontia protodice (pictured).
The females are much more boldly patterned than
the males. Rare and sporadic in Wisconsin for
many years, it was first noted near Muscoda in
Grant County on 22 May, and appeared in substant-
ial numbers in 17 counties in the southern half
of the state by late August and September. Known
protodice sites should be checked this coming
spring, to document if the species is capable of
surviving the winter here. Dry, disturbed habitats
such as weedy waste places, roadsides and edges of
gravel pits supported good populations of protodice .
Pholisora catullus , another weedy species, was also
found in above-average numbers.

-4-

In the north, the Nymphalid populations appear to be on the increase.

In particular, Nymphalis vau-album was reported in numbers, especially in the
northeastern counties. This species appears to go through long-term cycles
of scarcity and abundance, and has rarely been seen since its last population
peak in 1980. Nymphalis milberti also seems to be increasing.

Nearly as many species of migrant butterflies as last year were reported,
most late in the season, unlike the very early appearance of some of these
species noted last year. Species found widespread or in large numbers last
year but rare to absent this year include Eurema lisa , Nathalis iole , Zerene
cesonia and Junonia coenia . Phoebis sennae was not seen at any of the sites
it was found in last year.

New county records are indicated by the county name in CAPITAL letters,
and new state records by the STATE notation.

BUTTERFLIES : Erynnis horatius , 20 Aug, WAUKESHA Co, STATE (RS), 19 Sept 1987 ,

JEFFERSON Co (LF). Erynnis persius , 14-27 May, Adams Co (JP), Burnett Co
(CF, LF, AS), Jackson Co (AS), Juneau Co (AS, LF). Pyrgus communis , 5 Aug-

9 Oct, Crawford Co (JP, LF) , Dane Co (KL) , Grant Co ( JP) , Sauk Co (JP, AS),
Winnebago Co (CS). Hylephila phyleus , 11-24 Sept, Crawford Co (LF, JP) .

Hesperia ottoe , 25 June-19 July, Grant Co (JP, AS), Green, Sauk Cos (AS).
Hesperia leonardus , 21 Aug-3 Oct, Green Co (JP), Juneau Co, on Joe-Pye Weed
flowers (LF), Sauk Co (AS). Hesperia metea , 4-23 May, Marinette Co (JP), Sauk
Co (AS). Pompeius verna , 12 July, Waukesha Co (RS). Atalopedes campestris ,

7-28 Aug, Milwaukee Co (SB), WAUKESHA Co (RS) . Poanes massasoit , 30 June-

6 July, Jackson Co (sight), SAUK Co (AS). Euphyes conspicua , 3-16 July,
JEFFERSON Co (CB), SAUK Co (AS). Atrytonopsis hianna , 22-27 May, Eau Claire
Co (JP), Burnett Co (CF, LF), Grant Co (RB, LF) . Amblyscirtes hegon , 17 May-

10 June, Langlade, Marathon, VILAS Cos (RB) , Forest, JACKSON Cos (AS). Papilio
cresphontes , 22 May-2 Oct (late), Dane Co (KL), Grant Co (KL, JP) , Jefferson

Co (LF), Sauk Co (AS), Walworth Co (SB). Pontia protodice , 22 May-9 Oct,
COLUMBIA, GREEN Cos (AS), CRAWFORD, RICHLAND Cos (CF, LF, JP), Dane Co (CB, CF) ,
GRANT Co (RB, LF, JP) , IOWA, JACKSON, Marathon, Monroe, VERNON, WOOD Cos ( JP) ,
Jefferson, WALWORTH Cos (RB, LF), Sauk Co (CF, LF, JP, AS), Waukesha Co (LF),
Winnebago Co (CS). Pieris virginiensis , 31 May-10 June, Forest Co (AS),

Langlade Co (RB). Eurema lisa , 11 Sept, Crawford Co (JP), LaCrosse Co (HK).
Nathalis iole , 11 Sept, Crawford Co (JP). Gaeides xanthoides dione , 29 June-

7 July, Grant, SAUK Cos (AS). Epidemia epixanthe , 29 June, OCONTO Co (CB).
Epidemia dorcas , 24 June, ASHLAND Co (AS), MARINETTE Co (JW). Epidemia
helloides , 26 May-21 Aug, ADAMS Co (LF), Burnett, ROCK Cos (AS), Marinette Co
(JW). Satyrium acadica , 26 June-3 July, SAUK Co (AS), Winnebago Co (CS).

- 5 -

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- 6 -

Green Co (LF), Sauk Co (CF, LF, JP, AS). Lemmeria digitalis , 30 Sept, MARATHON
Co (JP). Spartiniphaga panatela , 19 June, BAYFIELD Co (LF). Macronoctua
onusta , 3 Sept, MARATHON Co, in bog (JP). Papaipema cerina , 20 Aug-17 Sept,
Grant, Richland, TREMPEALEAU Cos (JP). Papaipema circumlucens , 1 Aug 1987 ,
TREMPEALEAU Co (LF). Papaipema lysimachiae , 10 Sept, WALWORTH Co (LF).

Papaipema baptisiae , 17 Sept, Iowa Co (LF). Papaipema appassionata , 9 Sept,
OZAUKEE Co (LF). Papaipema eupatorii , 1 Oct, DANE Co (LF). Properigea costa ,

3 Aug, SAUK Co (LF). Magusa orbifera , 10-25 Sept, MARATHON Co ( JP) , Ozaukee
Co (LF). Stiriodes obtusa , 6 July, DANE Co (LF). Hillia irus , 3-29 Sept,
in Tamarack bogs, DANE Co (LF), MARATHON Co (JP), OZAUKEE Co (GB, LF). Anarta
cordigera , 17-21 May, Langlade Co (JP), Oneida Co (GB, JP). Faronta rubripennis ,
20 Aug, Trempealeau Co (JP). Euxoa quebecensis , 19 June, BAYFIELD Co (LF).
Anomogyna dilucida , Eugraphe subrosea , 10 Sept, OZAUKEE Co, in bog (LF) . Schinia
septentrionalis , 10 Sept, Green Co (JP). Schinia lucens , 25 June, Grant Co
(LF, JP).

TWO NEW STATE RECORD BUTTERFLIES VERIFIED Les Ferge

The Western White, Pontia occidentalis (Reakirt), a species more at home
in the mountainous west, is included in Wisconsin’s fauna on the basis of a
single stray caught in Minocqua Twp., Oneida County on 19 September 1981. The
identity of the specimen was verified by Art Shapiro (a leading Pierid expert)
and Paul Opler. This species is very similar to .P. protodice , and may be
distinguished by the more greenish veining pattern on the underside of the hind-
wing. The upper surface markings are black, unlike the brown seen in typical
protodice females. The specimen is pictured below, and is significantly larger
than any of the protodice seen from Wisconsin.

The first report of Horace’s Dusky Wing, Erynnis horatius (Scudder & Burgess)
in Wisconsin was received from Su Borkin of the Milwaukee Public Museum. A male
specimen was captured by her father, Raymond Sullivan, on 20 August 1988 near
his home in Waukesha County. This report prompted me to look at an "odd" and
somewhat battered Erynnis I collected in Jefferson County near Palmyra on 19
September 1987, which also turned out to be horatius . This species is very

-7-

similar to the common EL juvenalis , and is most easily distinguished by the
absence of the two subapical spots found on the underside of the hindwing in
juvenalis . Unlike juvenalis , which has a single brood in May , horatius has
at least two broods northward, in May and July-August. The larval host plants
are species of oak, with species in the red oak group favored, and the adults
are associated with open woods and forest edges, possibly favoring hilltop sites
(Opler & Krizek, Butterflies E. of the Great Plains). In Wisconsin, horatius
would best be searched for in the southernmost counties. More data is needed
to determine if breeding populations occur in the state, or if the above records
represent only casual strays.

With these additions, Wisconsin’s butterfly list now stands at 149 species.

It was also noticed that Erynnis brizo (Boisduval & LeConte) , the Sleepy Dusky
Wing, was inadvertantly omitted from the butterfly checklist appearing in the
May 1988 W. E. S. Newsletter. This species is found statewide in open oak woods
and has a single brood in May.

NEWS AND NOTES

Dan Capps wrote a while back, and is more involved with insects than ever
before. He continues to do presentations and exhibits in schools, and finds
them very rewarding. The enthusiasm and excitement of the children as they see
the exhibit is contagious and uplifting. Shopping mall exhibits took him as
far away as Cincinnati, Ohio last year. Judging from the response of the general
public, it seems that people are really increasing their awareness of conservation
and environmental concerns. It is fun to share a seldom-seen glimpse of our
world with people, and he often finds many new friends this way. He has also
created a new mail order business offering tropical insects for sale, mainly
Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Orthoptera, and offers a free price list to anyone
requesting it. He also enjoys sharing his stunning collection, and encourages
anyone interested in seeing the largest and most beautiful insects to contact
him. Contact Dan Capps, 702 Whitehall Drive, Madison, WI 53714.

FOR SALE: Redwood Insect Boxes, standard 9 x 13 x 2j fl size. $6.00 each.

Jim Parkinson, 1951 James St., Mosinee, WI 54455. Arrangements can be made to
have these available at the Milwaukee meeting on April 1, to save shipping costs.

Wisconsin Entomological Soc.
Les Ferge, Editor
7119 Hubbard Avenue
Middleton, WI 53562