[Pollinator] Tropical Butterfly expands range

[Peter Bernhardt]

Yesterday's message on the poaching of an endangered British butterfly may
have depressed you.  A colleague in Queensland, Australia, responded with a
coauthored article about a butterfly species advancing its range from India
and Sri Lanka into tropical, monsoon Australia (see attached).

Note that this insect's range spreads even though it is a specialist when
selecting a host plant for its larvae.  The food plant (Hybanthus) is a
member of the violet family (Violaceae).  When you hit the seasonally dry,
Old World tropics of Australia the genus Viola becomes uncommon and is
replaced by Hybanthus growing as a very pretty but stringy, perennial
herbv.  In fact, Hybanthus is very common further south into temperate
bushland in New South Wales.  I saw lots of them flowering at Barren
Grounds, NSW, a little more than a year ago.

For the butterfly experts in our groups, may I presume that this butterfly
is a nymphalid and we would call it a fritillary?  In North America, true
violets (Viola) are a common food of fritillaries with Speyeria cybele on
birds foot violet (Viola pedata) in Missouri glades and woodlands.

Peter
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