Research about border-color

The colour of the Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauty's's border can vary from rich yellow to light beige/white. One reason for this may be the fading of the yellow fringe during the Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauty's overwintering period. However, a light-coloured border can also be caused by a hypothermic caterpillar Cech; Tudor, 2005 - Butterflies of the East Coast: An Observer's Guide.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was noticed in the British Isles that the majority of sightings or catches of the Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauty had white wing margins instead of the yellow margins or wing edges that were common on the continent. At the time, many saw the reason in a separate British race of the butterfly.

The question of the causes of yellow or white coloured wing edges of the Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauty's was already the subject of various treatises in the 18th century.

In 1775, Siegmund Adrian von Rothenburg (1745-1797)Siegmund Adrian von Rothenburg noticed that in the first days of spring, Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties with a white border could be seen in rare cases. At the time, he surmised that this effect was caused by chrysalises overwintering at low temperatures von Rothenburg, 1775 - Anmerkungen zu den hufnagelischen Tabellen der Schmetterlinge.

Nikolaus Joseph Brahm (1754-1821)Nikolaus Joseph Brahm wrote a lengthy treatise on the subject in 1791. He stated that it had not yet been possible to obtain a Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauty with a white border from breeding. In addition, all Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties with a white border showed signs of wear Brahm, 1791 - Handbuch der ökonomischen Insektengeschichte.

Edward Alfred Cockayne (1880-1956)Edward Alfred Cockayne, an English physician and amateur lepidopterist (see also Cockayne Trust, London at Natural History Museum, London) finds in his article The White Border of Euvanessa antiopa, L. Cockayne, 1921 - The White Border of Euvanessa antiopa L. another explanation for the white wing margins of British Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties:

The colloquial names white border and white petticoat used in older British literature are due to the high number of Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties with white wing margins caught there.

The Englishman Adrian Haworth (1767-1833)Adrian Haworth distinguished between British and continental Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties based on the color of their wing margins:

• british Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties have white edges.
• Types of climate outside the tropics that are characterised by large seasonal fluctuations in monthly average temperatures of over 20 °C. Source: Wikipedia.continental Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties have yellow edges.

However, Edward Alfred Cockayne (1880-1956)Edward Alfred Cockayne does not subscribe to this theory: According to research at the time, it was generally accepted that British Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties flew in from areas outside the islands.

Since Types of climate outside the tropics that are characterised by large seasonal fluctuations in monthly average temperatures of over 20 °C. Source: Wikipedia.continental Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties hatch exclusively with yellow edges and only get their white wing edges after an overwintering, British Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties should actually have already undergone an overwintering.

However, this conflicts with climatic conditions and observations:

• The climate of the British Isles does not allow the Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties to overwinter, or only in rare exceptional cases.
• The months with the highest immigration rates are in August and September, i.e. the migrating Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties will usually not have gone through overwintering yet.

Edward Alfred Cockayne (1880-1956)Edward Alfred Cockayne attempts to resolve this conflict. To this end, he examines Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties from various collections, especially those from 1872, the year of immigration, which is still unattained today. Many of the Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties caught in August and September have white edges, although the butterflies leave a fresh impression.

In the collection of the , a French breeding specimen with almost transparent wing margins and overall pale colours was finally found. Under the microscope, Edward Alfred Cockayne (1880-1956)Edward Alfred Cockayne recognised unusually thin, transparent, curled scales on the wing margins. The blue postdiscal spots also showed unusual features.

He subsequently examined the scales of the wing margins and found similar scale defects (defects) in most specimens with white wing margins. In contrast, Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties with yellow margins consistently showed no such defects.

From the fact that there are many A genetic or environmentally produced variation on the usual form of the speciesaberrations of butterflies species with similar scale defects, Edward Alfred Cockayne (1880-1956)Edward Alfred Cockayne concludes that the scale defects must already exist when the butterfly hatches, i.e. they are congenital. As no Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties with white wing margins could be bred in temperature experiments, Edward Alfred Cockayne (1880-1956)Edward Alfred Cockayne even assumes that the trait is inherited.

Examination of the collections leads to the realisation that Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties originating from Scandinavia consistently have white margins, while Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties originating from GermanyGermany, FranceFrance, ItalyItaly, RussiaRussia and Kingdom of the NetherlandsKingdom of the Netherlands have yellow margins or white margins.

His conclusion despite the limited data basis - especially with regard to Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties from southern regions:

Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties from the north have white margins - with scale defects. Towards the south, Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties with yellow wing margins increase.

He thus sees the thesis of the Englishman Henry Stainton (1822-1892)Henry Stainton from 1872/73 confirmed that most British Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties originate from Scandinavian countries.

Some 50 years after Edward Alfred Cockayne (1880-1956)Edward Alfred Cockayne, John Michael Chalmers-HuntJohn Michael Chalmers-Hunt investigated the major immigrations to the British Isles from 1976 Chalmers-Hunt, 1977 - The 1976 Invasion of the Camberwell Beauty (Nymphalis antiopa L.).

He describes the color of the wing margins of freshly hatched Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties as varying between yellow (faded whitish after overwintering) and white. With congenital white margins, the scales of the wing margins are curled and pigmentless.

In the Camberwell BeautyNymphalis antiopa (Linnaeus, 1758)Mourning CloakCamberwell Beauties that immigrated in 1976, both yellow and white wing margins were present. Since only a few observers specified the color in more detail, there are no numbers that reflect the ratio (although a current analysis of the captured butterflies could give an indication here).

John Michael Chalmers-HuntJohn Michael Chalmers-Hunt quotes Carrington Bonsor Williams (1889-1981)Carrington Bonsor Williams, who writes in Williams, 1958 - Insect Migration:

Specimens from Scandinavia have a paler border than those from southern Europe.