60 TROP. LEPID. RES., 26(1): 60-61, 2016 WILLMOTT: Book Review George M. van der Poorten and Nancy E. van der Poorten (2016). THE BUTTERFLY FAUNA OF SRI LANKA. Lepodon Books, Toronto, Canada. vi + 418 pp, 416 figs. (see note in text), 3 tables The small island of Sri Lanka lies only 30 km from the southeastern coast of India, yet out of its 247 species of butterflies, 31 are endemic and 84 are represented by endemic subspecies. With a dense human population that has lived there for thousands of years, the conservation of this fauna is a challenge. Thus, despite the existence of several books on the island’s butterfly fauna (e.g., Woodhouse, 1949; D’Abrera, 2000), the authors decided that an additional book, with a particular focus on the biology and conservation of the fauna, was warranted. The result is a richly illustrated book that draws upon the authors’ many years of field research, during which time they documented at least some information for every species on the island, compiled a distribution database of 30,000 records, and compiled immature stage information for 219 species. The book begins with a series of introductory chapters before tackling the six families of butterflies present in Sri Lanka. Chapter 1 briefly reviews the age of butterflies and the possible origins of Sri Lanka’s fauna, followed by the history of study of Sri Lankan butterflies. The authors note that butterflies have likely been declining in the region for many years, and describe several eye-witness reports from early last century of vast swarms of migrating butterflies that would be ‘unimaginable today’. They describe the island’s topography and climate, and habitats where butterflies occur. Chapter 2 briefly touches on the origins of common and scientific names of butterflies, and concludes with a much longer, thorough, Gaudy Baron (Euthalia lubentina psittacus) absorbing and splendidly illustrated discussion of the butterfly life cycle and biology. Chapter 3 focuses on conservation, describing the threats butterflies face and the recent assessments of Sri Lankan butterfly threat status using IUCN categories. Evidently the most recent assessment was conducted by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Environment, resulting in a total of 108 species being listed as threatened. This assessment was apparently Fig. 7-48. Gaudy Baron (Euthalia lubentina psittacus). a) male feeding on fallen jak fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), upperside; b) male feeding on based just on the status of the species in Sri Lanka – many foafl lDeenn jdarko pfrhutihto, eu nfadlecrastidae; ;g )c )fi fneaml ianlset afer eladrinvag oonn fsaclalrerne dja lke afrfu oitf, D u.p fpaelcrsaitdae;; hd)) bfeeemtalele f,e uenddinegr soidne y;o eu)n fge lmeaafl eo,f uDp.p fearlsciadtea;. f) female laying egg on leaf widely distributed species that happen to be local or rare in Sri Wingspan: 60–80 mm  Description (Fig. 7-48): This gorgeous butterfly is seldom of mistletoe, being brittle, break off easily. In the intermediate Lanka are considered threatened, whereas I assume that only seen despite the abundance of its larval food plants, the mistletoes zone, the female selects tattered and scarred leaves for egg-laying. (Loranthaceae). Fresh individuals of both sexes show a lovely The scarring of the mature leaf is brought about by a small beetle a small fraction of those, which are endemic to the island, are iridescent sheen on the upperside. Its brilliant colors are not when it feeds on the expanding leaves. As the leaves age, the evident in flight because the butterfly flies so swiftly. Even when grooves and holes left behind dry up and turn brown to give the globally threatened. The chapter concludes with an encouraging saentgtlleed i,n t hthee c porloorpse tra lkigeh ltif. eB oonthly swexheesn a pvipeewaer dg raaty tihshe -abpluper ooprr giartaey ish- ltehaev feesm thaeleir e cahgaerralyc tseereisktsi cf osrc aergrged-l aaypinpega. rLaenacvee—s wthitehseo uart eb teheetl ele aves green when viewed at other angles. The male is much smaller than injury are seldom used. Whether the female uses mostly scarred section on butterfly gardening. the female. leaves of mistletoe in the other climatic zones is not known. Once a suitable leaf is found, the female clings to the leaf, vertically or Chapter 4 introduces the species accounts which occupy  Similar species: In flight it may be mistaken for the Baron. nearly so, with its head pointing up, and lays a single egg. The egg is superbly camouflaged and almost indistinguishable from the  Status, distribution and habitat: This endemic subspecies is myriad blotches on the leaves. Under a hand lens, however, the the remaining 90% of the book. Each family receives an rare (1) and though a few fly throughout the year, most sightings egg is seen to be a beautifully sculptured multi-faceted dome with have been from July to September. It is widely distributed in the amber-colored projections that terminate in sticky droplets. The introduction of several pages summarizing the distinguishing intermediate zone and the wet zone up to about 1500 m asl. It droplets probably act as a defense against parasitoids by trapping favors mid-elevations from 400–700 m asl and inhabits forests and them on contact. characters, biology, taxonomic diversity and conservation issues well-wooded home gardens. Threat status: VU. blackTh spei nneesw alny de mtweorg reodw lsa rovfa l iigs hatr-mcoeldo rwedit hk nfooubrb ryo swpsin oefs laolnogn g  Adult behavior: Its behavior is similar to that of the Baron, but the length of its amber-colored body. It feeds on its eggshell on of the group. Subsequently, each species is treated on a full page, it prefers to live higher up in the canopy or subcanopy where it is emergence, and in the first instar, it rests in a characteristic manner often difficult to see, which also contributes to its scarcity. Both with its body curled up and its head touching the thorax, or nearly illustrated by photographs of live butterflies showing dorsal and sexes descend to the ground now and again to feed on fallen fruits, so. The dorsal spines of the larva, like the droplets of the egg, are or to suck up moisture from seepages and edges of streams when sticky, and probably trap small parasitoids and prevent eggs being conditions are very dry. When settled, it is shy and any sudden laid on the larva, as they do for the egg. Reared larvae often had ventral surfaces. Supplementary images of the immature stages, movement nearby drives it away instantly. their droppings attached to these spines, but we were unable to determine if this was accidental or if the larva deliberately placed hostplants, nectar sources, and habitats, make many accounts  Immature stages: The female lays its eggs singly on the them for better camouflage. upperside of a leaf of the larval food plant, usually 3–5 m above the In the third instar, the larva develops long much-branched ground. Plants that grow high up in the canopy where winds are black and yellow dorsolateral spines, and a row of brown dorsal extend onto additional pages. The images are simply stunning, strong are seldom used for egg-laying, probably because branches spots which are retained until the larva pupates. At this stage, crisp, beautifully color-balanced, well organized and reflecting The Brush-footed butterflies 243 an extraordinary amount of time and dedication in the field. Cover and example species account. WILLMOTT: Book Review TROP. LEPID. RES., 26(1): 60-61, 2016 61 Each ‘figure’ actually contains multiple photographs, such that Pale Palmdart (Telicota colon kala) the 416 figures in the book contain many thousands of different images. My guess is that most or all of the immature stage images represent newly documented life histories, in which case this book contains a treasure trove of new data, especially for the Hesperiidae and Lycaenidae. The accounts include concise, informative sections on identification, status, distribution and habitat, with a number indicating the approximate number of individuals that might be seen in one day, an intriguing and potentially very useful quantitative measure of abundance. Fig. 5-49. Pale Palmdart (Telicota colon kala). a) male, upperside; b) male feeding on nectar of Chromolaena odorata, underside; c) female, underside; d) – e) female, upperside; f) egg; g) larva, final instar, lateral view; h) larva, final instar, dorsal view; i) pupa. Further sections describe adult behavior, immature stages, Wingspan: 32–36 mm and conservation issues. An extremely welcome and valuable  Description (Figs. 5-49, 5-50c, d): It is very similar in though the species of grass has not yet been identified. Ormiston feature is the frequent presentation of plates comparing similar appearance to the Dark Palmdart. In the male, the sex brand on (1924) recorded that it fed on sugarcane. The mature larva has a the upperside of the forewing consists of three broad streaks that light brown head and is more yellowish than the larva of the Dark species in complex groups such as the skippers and blues, with are situated closer to the upper margin of the black band within Palmdart, while the pupa is paler. which they lie; on the upperside of the forewing, the yellow streaks from the postdiscal band run along the veins to the termen. In arrows indicating diagnostic characters. the female, these yellow streaks do not extend to the termen along the veins, but the markings in the cells below vein M3 have their Following the species accounts are ca. 70 pages of lower edges produced slightly; the markings on the upperside are much smaller, enhancing the black ground color and making the Appendices. An annotated list indicates the habitats and butterfly appear darker. endemic status of each species, followed by a notes section  Similar species: Dark Palmdart—see under that species. All other Darts are smaller. which explains the taxonomy adopted wherever potentially  Status, distribution and habitat: The species is rare (5), but appears to fly year-round. It is confined to the hills of the Uva, controversial. There follow lists of works on Sri Lankan Sabaragamuwa provinces and the drier parts of the Central province. A few are occasionally encountered at lower elevations. butterflies, larval hostplants and the species that feed on them, Ormiston (1924) recorded it as “plentiful” in Haldummulla and had observed it in Galle and Wellawaya. Woodhouse (1949) wrote nectar sources, and fascinating historical accounts of large that it was found “all over the island, all the year round, below 5000 feet”. Its range within the island has certainly contracted numbers of Sri Lankan butterflies. Then, tucked away almost since historical times. Threat status: NT. Fig. 5-50. Differentiating male Dark Palmdart and male Pale Palmdart by wing pattern and sex brand. at the end of the book, is Appendix F, consisting of 30 plates  Adult behavior: Its behavior is similar to that of the Tropic Dart a) – b) Dark Palmdart (Telicota bambusae lanka); orange-colored scales except that it inhabits grasslands and large open meadows. dbola cnko tb eaxntde nwdit thoin m wahrgicinh; i ts elixe sb.rand lies closer to the lower margin of the with probably more than a thousand images of eggs, larvae c) – d) Pale Palmdart (Telicota colon kala); orange-colored scales extend  Immature stages: Its immature stages are similar to those of the to margin; sex brand lies closer to the upper margin of the black band Dark Palmdart except that it feeds on grasses instead of bamboo within which it lies. and pupae. This gorgeous compilation of flawless images is just astounding, breath-taking. Standarized views allow The Skippers 85 easy comparison among species, either for identification or potentially for coding characters for a phylogenetic study. Larvae: Nymphalidae: Danainae (Fig. F-11) (continued) Finally, the book concludes with glossary, reference list and index. In summary, this is a beautifully crafted, fabulously illustrated work on the biology, conservation and identification of Sri Lankan butterflies, with an absolute wealth of information. For those with broader interests in the immature stages and the natural history of Asian butterflies, it will prove invaluable. LITERATURE CITED D’Abrera, B. 1998. The Butterflies of Ceylon. Wildlife Heritage Trust, Colombo. 224 pp. Woodhouse, L. G. O. 1949. The Butterfly Fauna of Ceylon. Second Complete Larvae: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae (Fig. F-12) Edition. The Colombo Apothecaries’ Co. Ltd., Colombo. Keith R. Willmott McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. 382 The Butterfly Fauna of Sri Lanka Example species account and plate from Appendix F.