Dispar
The Online Journal of Lepidoptera
ISSN 2056-9246
The Online Journal of Lepidoptera
ISSN 2056-9246
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by Vadim V. Tshikolovets.
The first of a 2-volume set which will cover butterflies of the West Palaearctic region from the Azores and Canary Islands through Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Iraq, Iran, and the Caucasus to the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains, western Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and the eastern border of Turkmenistan. Includes 922 species (432 in the first volume and 490 in the second), with over 20,000 unique illustrations: colour photographs of over 12,000 set specimens, including males, females, upper- and undersides of wings, type specimens, many rare species and subspecies; approximately 12,000 colour photographs of butterflies in nature and their habitats, including historical photographs of biotopes that have been destroyed in recent years. About 900 colour distribution maps.
In addition to the traditional systematic checklist list in the first volume, a schematic overview of all species is presented in the colour section at the beginning of each family, allowing for an immediate assessment of both the number of species and their diversity.
The text covers nomenclature, distribution, ecological and phenological data, and discusses taxonomic issues. For many species, differences are described and illustrated, allowing for reliable identification based on external and internal morphology. This publication summarizes the most important information and knowledge accumulated over the past 300 years, presented in a user-friendly format.
The book is the first of a two volume set. The contents are divided into 4 main parts: Introduction (including Preface, Acknowledgements, Abbreviations, and Brief Explanations); Checklist of the West Palearctic butterflies in systematic order; Atlas of butterflies; and A survey of the butterflies (with notes on variability, ecology, phenology, similar species and nomenclature). The two volumes cover 922 species (432 in the first volume and 490 in the second).
As stated in the Introduction, the 2011 book Butterflies of Europe and the Mediterranean area has become a bibliographic rarity. This is an update of that book with an expanded range, and absorbs some details from the Butterflies of Palaearctic Asia of which currently 15 volumes have been published.
The book has defined the territory of the Western Palaearctic as "Iceland, the Azores and Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean through Europe, North Africa to and including the eastern slopes of the Ural Mountains in Russia, western Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, the Middle East and the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula". Some might argue that the dividing line between the Western and Eastern Palearctic is further east of the Ural Mountains.
The Checklist of the 922 butterflies does not follow the Checklist of European butterflies (Wiemers et al. 2018). For example, in Europe, species in the Lysandra clade are considered a separate genus from Polyommatus in this checklist, whereas Tshikolovets treats the clade as a subgenus of Polyommatus. DNA evidence supports the view as two separate genera (Wiemers et al, 2020). The book also claims that it has followed rules and recommendations of ICZN. However, the controversy over the naming of the Phengaris genus was ruled in 2017, whereas Tshikolovets continues to use the old name Maculinea (ICZN 2017).
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It should be noted that there is neither any formally accepted definition of subspecies, nor agreement of which are valid subspecies. In the past many subspecies have been defined, that are better described as forms or varieties. However, it is generally agreed that subspecies need to have a distinct distribution from other subspecies of the same species, which is followed in the book.
The Atlas section is colour coded into the four families covered in this volume. At the beginning of each family, a set specimen of each species is shown, grouped by subfamily, genus and subgenus. Page information is provided at the genus level for both the Atlas and the Survey sections of the book. This should enable a particular species to be quickly located in the absence of an Index.
The Atlas section for each species is divided into 3 parts. One panel contains photographs of the butterfly in the wild, along with habitat photographs. The central panel consists of the map and information on wingspan and distribution. The third panel contains photographs of set specimens, both male and female, with upper-side and underside shown. All pictures have been scaled so that each image is the same size.
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The maps are a lot clearer than those that were published in the 2011 book. The different subspecies are shown in contrasting colours, rather than the different shades of brown in the previous book. Each page contains 3 or 4 species, depending on the number of subspecies.
The Survey section contains information about each genus and species. Some information is given about differences from similar species, habitat, phenology, main host plants and variability. Taxonomic information is provided for the species and the subspecies described in the book. There is cross reference to page number so it is easy to flip between the maps and the descriptions. This arrangement has allowed the maps to be printed on glossy paper, and the descriptions on matt paper.
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There is no index nor reference section in this volume; presumably this will be covered by volume 2. The height of the book at 342mm is 42mm taller than the books in the Butterflies of Palaearctic Asia series, which is a shame, and means the book is too tall for my book shelf.
The two books I regularly consult on European butterflies, other than more detailed works are: Tolman & Lewington (2008) and Tshikolovets (2011). The 2011 edition can now be retired, and will be replaced by this volume, as well as volume 2 when it is published. Highly recommended.