Nabokov and His Beloved Blues Butterflies

. . . "In nature," Johnson comments, "the broad blue basal colors and the yellow marginal colors occur in different groups of Charaxes, not together. Nabokov's magnificent Charaxes verae apparently illustrates how Nabokov would have imagined these bold colors aligned side by side."

An excellent web site, ZEMBLA, pays tribute to Vladimir Nabokov on the occasion of his centenary for his outstanding legacy in lepidopterology. Named after the imaginary kingdom of Zembla in Nabokov's famous novel Pale Fire, the site currently features abridged versions of Chapter 1 and Chapter 10 of Nabokov's Blues: The Scientific Odyssey of a Literary Genius (Kurt Johnson and Steve Coates).

Also featured on the ZEMBLA site is an exceptional article by Dr. Kurt Johnson titled "Nabokov's Endangered Blues." (Note: Go to "NEWS", items 12/17/99 and 12/9/99) This piece relates the story of the Karner Blue and the endangered Nabokov Blues in South America. Five species have been documented as extirpated from their original localities. Others are known only from the original specimens in old museum collections. The legacy of documenting the fate of Nabokov's South American blues is ongoing.

This genus, Nabokovia excisicosta, was named in honor of Nabokov by England's famous entomologist, Francis Hemming. By accident, Nabokov used a name for this group that, unbeknownst to him, had already been used by someone else. Therefore, when the CODE of nomenclature was formulated and the group needed a different name, Hemming chose "Nabokovia". As with this species (excisicosta) most Blues of this group are actually brown, and many, (although not this one) have oddly shaped wings. Captured in Argentina by Zsolt Balint. Photograph Copyright © Zsolt Balint

Paralycaeides inconspicua ("Inconspicuous Blue") gets its name because only the freshest specimens show clear under surface wing markings. Butterflies several days old are often worn and patternless, creating confusion for collectors and scientists. The Inconspicuous Blue is the most common and widespread of Nabokov's genus Paralycaeides. When Nabokov first studied this species, he realized it belonged in a unique genus. His name means "like Lycaeides" because these South American Blues reminded him of his favorite North American genus - "Lycaeides." Captured in Argentina by Zsolt Balint. Photograph: Copyright © Zsolt Balint



Some Blues Habitats in South America
Photographs: Copyright © David Kroenlein

Volcano Sarasara --

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