Best resources?

[ButterflyMel]

I am working on a extremely large project and butterflies and moths are part of it. I was hoping to find a super database of these creatures somewhere but then I found out how many species there were so I'm sure there is a slim chance of finding anything like that. :-) So, can any of you suggest some good books to reference common and rare species? I would actually like a book that would show pictures (not drawings) of all the stages of life from egg to adult, but I doubt that would happen. I'm sure doing a little research I could find all of that information online, anyway.

Thanks!

[Great Mormon]

Hello, you can try to get a copy of The Life Histories of Asian Butterflies Vol 1 & 2 by Suguru Igarashi and Haruo Fukada.

Mr Teo has an extensive collection of reference books, perhaps you can ask him regarding the books.

Alternatively, the butteflies of singapore blog (http://butterflycircle.blogspot.com)has quite an extensive collection of life histories.

[teotp]

I am working on a extremely large project and butterflies and moths are part of it. So, can any of you suggest some good books to reference common and rare species? I would actually like a book that would show pictures (not drawings) of all the stages of life from egg to adult, but I doubt that would happen.

Hi ButterflyMel,

May I know what types of books about butterflies you are looking for? Life histories, taxonomy, ecology, evolution, biology, genetic, anatomy, molecular biology, chemistry/ biochemistry, field guides...related to your huge project?
Just take taxonomy as an example, there are books figured butterflies from Australian, Oriental, Neotropical, Holarctic and Afrotropical regions, each region consist of 1 to 7 volumes depend on the species figured.

I only have a small collection of butterfly books about South East Asian butterflies.

Teo T P

[ButterflyMel]

Well, the project doesn't go into too much depth of information so I basically need to the life cycle for each species from egg to adult and the differences of male and female.

[Silverstreak]

ButterflyMel,

If you are looking for a super book/data base for the life-cycles of all the world species in pictures..... it is still in the making.

A great number of the life cycles of the world's butterflies and moths have yet to be recorded. It is going to be a real task sourcing and collecting just those that have pictorial lifecycle records from the many lepidoptera regions........especially the rarer ones.

Perhaps you will need help of organisations like Smithsonian and the British Natural Museums and the World's Lepidoptera Societies.

Cheers!

[ButterflyMel]

I would love their help but my project is on a limited budget and I would not be able to fit them in anywhere. Butterflies/moths are only part of the website and there are thousands of other bugs and creatures that I need to add. It will be a huge website but will grow little by little. I just need a good starting point!

[teotp]

I would love their help but my project is on a limited budget and I would not be able to fit them in anywhere. Butterflies/moths are only part of the website and there are thousands of other bugs and creatures that I need to add. It will be a huge website but will grow little by little. I just need a good starting point!

I think you need to read text books on general entomology first, and look at how much you need to put up for your huge website. For instance, if you know how many species of butterflies (lets don't mention about moths) in the world. You may scale down to one or two orders (or even only superfamilies, families...) and also restrict your study areas and boundaries which are convenience to you and also within your budget. Do you know that the oldest entomological specimens in the Natural History Museum (previously known as British Museum Natural History) in London were collected about 1680.

Of course, for photography techniques, equipments...etc, there are many experts on BDF and anyone of them can be your mentor or advisor.

As you are from California, you may take a look at BioQuip Products (web: www.bioquip.com) and / or Natural History Books (web: www.naturalhistorybooks.biz) and see what you can pick up from there.

(Note: BioQuip is in California and NHBooks in Iowa)

Teo T P

(Here is another one in California: www.abebooks.com)