Dear Krishnamegh, I am sure you will be renaming many species in the upcoming catalogue. And some of them have already got very poetic names like Dusky Partwing (for Coon). I am impressed by the idea of getting rid of some racially derogatory names of the butterflies. But I am very skeptical about naming them on the basis of geographical distribution - eg. Palni Fritillary. My points are: 1. Geographical distribution is the single most inconsistent feature of any species. Any species can appear in any new area of adaptable habitat, especially if the geographical barrier is not very significant, as in the case of Palghat gap. If intercontinental transfer of species can happen in this age of unhindered transport facilities, this is not impossible at all in the near future. And, if a species can sustain well south of palghat gap, there is no reason why it cannot survive north of it. If this happens, the new names end up as misnomers just like what happens to Nilgiri Fourring. 2. Genetically determined features with near perfect consistency, like the parted wings of the "Coon", is undoubtedly the most likely feature to last for ever (of course, unless a mutation shatters the feature and manages to sustain for generations) and the the most dependable feature to name them with.
Just one man's opinion, and thought of sharing with you all. Happiness to you! unni www.imagery.in ................................................. Dr.Unni Krishnan Pulikkal ARPS Pady P.O., Kodaly, Thrissur Dt., Kerala, India PIN.680699 Cell: 9446508102 Res: +91 480 2740735 ................................................. The Butterfly Art Foundation, India www.bafindia.org ................................................. On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 10:36 PM, Kunte, Krushnamegh <[email protected]>wrote: > > > Potentially ‘yes’ to both situations. There are many factors that will > favor or prevent speciation, though. It’s a complex subject but several > useful reviews have been published recently. You can easily find them on > google. > > > ------------------------------ > *From: *Kishen Das <[email protected]> > > *Reply-To: *butterflyindia <[email protected]> > *Date: *Sun, 6 Mar 2011 20:05:48 -0500 > > *To: *butterflyindia <[email protected]> > *Subject: *Re: [ButterflyIndia] Western Ghats endemics from the > Butterflies of India website > > > > > > > How is this explained ? > > Could this also happen in say species like say Papilio polytes, > where groups having mimetic and non-mimetic females separate out enough in > time to form sub-species ? > > Last question - if female has multiple mimic forms, are there any > chances for groups with mimetic females with more common specific forms to > separate out in space and form different species? > For example: If Nelliampathy hills in Kerala has just Papilio polytes > romulus and Horsley Hills in Andhra Pradesh has just Papilio polytes > stichius forms. Could it possible for these groups to become different > species, given enough time ? > > Any references will be helpful. > > Kishen > > On Sun, Mar 6, 2011 at 3:09 PM, Kunte, Krushnamegh <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > Right, so this is a different taxon (*hybrida*) that has mimetic females. > Populations south of the Palghat Gap have non-mimetic females and go by the > name of *castetsi*. > > > > ------------------------------ > *From: *Unni Pulikkal <[email protected] <http://[email protected]/> > > *Reply-To: *butterflyindia <[email protected] < > http://[email protected]/> > > *Date: *Sat, 5 Mar 2011 10:08:42 -0500 > > *To: *butterflyindia <[email protected] < > http://[email protected]/> > > *Subject: *Re: [ButterflyIndia] Western Ghats endemics from the > Butterflies of India website > > > > > > > Dear Krishnamegh, > These are pictures made in Dec 2008. > I have not processed images of Feb 2011. Will send you later if you wish to > see. > Happiness to you! > unni > www.imagery.in <http://www.imagery.in/> <http://www.imagery.in < > http://www.imagery.in/> > > > ................................................. > Dr.Unni Krishnan Pulikkal ARPS > Pady P.O., Kodaly, Thrissur Dt., > Kerala, India PIN.680699 > Cell: 9446508102 > Res: +91 480 2740735 > ................................................. > The Butterfly Art Foundation, India > www.bafindia.org <http://www.bafindia.org/> <http://www.bafindia.org < > http://www.bafindia.org/> > > ................................................. > > > > On Fri, Mar 4, 2011 at 10:46 PM, Kunte, Krushnamegh < > [email protected] <http://[email protected]/> > wrote: > > > > > > > Unni, I would like to see your images of both sexes from the Nilgiris. As > for the names, look out for my forthcoming *Catalogue* for a detailed > discussion of this matter. It should be ready towards the end of this year. > > Cheers, > > Krushnamegh. > ------------------------------ > *From: *Unni Pulikkal <[email protected] <http://[email protected]/> < > http://[email protected] <http://[email protected]/> > > > *Reply-To: *butterflyindia <[email protected] < > http://[email protected]/> < > http://[email protected] < > http://[email protected]/> > > > > *Date: *Fri, 4 Mar 2011 01:33:17 -0500 > *To: *butterflyindia <[email protected] < > http://[email protected]/> < > http://[email protected] < > http://[email protected]/> > > > > *Subject: *Re: [ButterflyIndia] Western Ghats endemics from the > Butterflies of India website > > > Dear Krishnamegh, > Any reason why Indian Fritillary was renamed to Palni Fritillary? > In fact, the species is not limited to Palni hills alone. They are present > in shola-grasslands of Nilgiri hills as well, though uncommon. > I have photographed both sexes from sholas of Lovedale (Ooty) and sholas of > Sholur, on way from Ooty to Gudallur, the last record was two weeks back. > > Happiness to you! > unni > www.imagery.in <http://www.imagery.in/> <http://www.imagery.in < > http://www.imagery.in/> > <http://www.imagery.in <http://www.imagery.in/> > > > > > ................................................. > Dr.Unni Krishnan Pulikkal ARPS > Pady P.O., Kodaly, Thrissur Dt., > Kerala, India PIN.680699 > Cell: 9446508102 > Res: +91 480 2740735 > ................................................. > The Butterfly Art Foundation, India > www.bafindia.org <http://www.bafindia.org/> <http://www.bafindia.org < > http://www.bafindia.org/> > <http://www.bafindia.org < > http://www.bafindia.org/> > > ................................................. > > > > On Fri, Mar 4, 2011 at 10:20 AM, Kunte, Krushnamegh < > [email protected] <http://[email protected]/> < > http://[email protected] <http://[email protected]/> > > wrote: > > > > > > > Four Western Ghats endemics from the Butterflies of India website: > > Nilgiri Clouded Yellow (*Colias nilagiriensis*): > > http://ifoundbutterflies.net/56-colias/colias-nilagiriensis > > Malabar Tree-Nymph (*Idea malabarica*): > > http://ifoundbutterflies.net/113-idea/idea-malabarica > > Palni Fritillary (*Argynnis castetsi*): > > http://ifoundbutterflies.net/122-argynnis/argynnis-castetsi > > Tailed Palmfly (*Elymnias caudata*): > > http://ifoundbutterflies.net/425-elymnias/elymnias-caudata > > With best wishes, > > Krushnamegh. > ------------------------------------------------- > > Krushnamegh Kunte, PhD > > Post-doctoral Research Fellow > FAS Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University > 52 Oxford St., Northwest Lab Room 458.40-3 > Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. > > Ph: (617) 496-0078, Cell: (512) 577-1370, Fax: (617) 495-2196 > Email: [email protected] <http://[email protected]/> < > http://[email protected] <http://[email protected]/> > < > http://[email protected] <http://[email protected]/> > > Other emails: [email protected] <http://[email protected]/> < > http://[email protected] <http://[email protected]/> > < > http://[email protected] <http://[email protected]/> > , > [email protected] < > http://[email protected]/> < > http://[email protected] < > http://[email protected]/> > < > http://[email protected] < > http://[email protected]/> > > > Personal website: http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~kunte/index.htm > Indian Foundation for Butterflies: http://ifoundbutterflies.org/ > Google profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/krushnamegh > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- Enjoy
