[Elizabeth]

I wonder if anyone could please point me in the direction of a good comprehensive NZ butterfly and moth identification book? Probably not so much for butterflies as for moths, as I have realised my lack of any useful knowledge on these while doing the transect walk.

Elizabeth

[Anna]

I just thought I’d mention that yesterday I found a great book that so far has been worth its weight in gold!
Its called “Managing pests and diseases” by Rob Lucas. 400 pages, with over 600 photos.
It is chocca full of information, and photos of all sorts of bugs,beetles, moths,parasites along with photos of plants with all manner of pest damage, and diseases.
I am rapt to have found this book, and thought others may like to keep a look out for it.
I see it was first published in 2005, then reprinted in 2008.
(Craig Potton Publishing)

[Darren]

I just found a copy of Crowe’s Which New Zealand Insect? in my library. I’ve never been able to find it in the reference section, but it turns out there is another copy in the children section! 😉

[Anna]

Thanks for telling us about this book Darren:
Brian Parkinson (2000). Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand. Reed: Auckland, NZ
ISBN 0 7900 0734 7
I’ve just got my copy from Touchwood Books, and its great!

[Darren]

Absolutely Anna, it must be a real dilemma being an author and trying to decide what to do with 2000 moths. A snippet on as many as you can fit in, or write a decent amount on a few? And if a few, then which ones? Neither the collins or the reed books I mentioned have the Convolvulus Hawk Moth.

[Anna]

Darren, the first one you listed just now was a great help identifying the Convolvulus Hawk Moth I was given recently, and gave quite a bit of info on them. I found the larger photos great in this book, and the descriptions helpful…its a pity there aren’t more butterflies in it though.

[Darren]

Some more books I’ve seen:

Know Your New Zealand Insects and Spiders
http://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9781869662530-know-your-new-zealand-insects-and-spiders/
A curious book. It is 176 pages long, and weighs 400g, yet only covers 81 species due to having a double page entry for each of them. It includes 11 moths, and three entries for butterflies: the Tussock ringlets, Red Admiral, and Common Copper.

The Reed Handbook of Common New Zealand Insects
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reed-Handbook-Common-Zealand-Insects/dp/0790007185
This book is 174 pages and 477g, and lists 84 insects in its table of contents, divided into ?field and garden? ?in the bush, and ?in fresh water?. It includes ten moths and five butterflies: monarch, red admiral, yellow admiral, common copper, and white. It even has a half page entry on creating a butterfly garden. However the things that stand out to me are that the illustrations are drawings not photos, there is a huge amount of wasted white space in this book with many entries only using half their allocated page, and finally the book is typeset in an unusual font which I found annoying and difficult to read.

Collins Field Guide to New Zealand Wildlife
http://www.amazon.com/Collins-Field-Guide-Zealand-Wildlife/dp/1869503007
This book has 263 pages and weighs just over 500g, yet packs in over 250 species. A lot of the book is birds, and it also covers many mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Yet it still manages to fit in nine moths and eight butterflies! Nice photos, lots of information organised into Recognition, Distribution, Habits, Food, and Breeding.

[Anna]

…and they are new copies which is great as I heard they might be out of print.

[Elizabeth]

Good one, Anna – well spotted!

Thanks for the link Char – it might have taken me an age to track it down! I’ve emailed Touchwoodbooks to see if they can post me a copy – Trademe, unless local, can be a bit tricky without a credit card.

[Charlotte]

Here we go;-))

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Books/Nonfiction/New-Zealand/auction-364039490.htm

[Anna]

Elizabeth, I have just managed to buy the book Darren mentioned from Touchwoodbooks as they were selling books on Trademe.

[clinton9]

Good thinking, AnneBarnett, plus pupaes, eggs and coccons, foodplants and caterpillars.

Cheers

Clinton.

[Anna]

…and it would be great to have the caterpillars of each butterfly/moth too…but that may be a mammoth task.

[clinton9]

Hi Norm,
Worse for us kiwis, we do not have books of NZ butterflies and moths, with colour photoes of mounted butterflies & moths with open wings of both underside and upperside.
NZ libraries do not have books of NZ moths with both underside wings and upperside wings.

Can I have Brain Patrick’s email address please., as I need to talk to him about importance of both underside and upperside wings, instead of upperside wings only.
Some NZ moths hold wings up like butterflies, making ID difficult.

Cheers

Clinton.

[NormTwigge]

Unfortunately New Zealand has few books published on Lepidoptera compared to other countries.
Published in 1980 and now out of print, but still the ‘bible’ for New Zealand butterfly information is George Gibbs “New
Zealand Butterflies”. It an occasionally be found in second hand book stores or on Trade me.
Information on New Zealand moths is sparse and what is available has been referred to in the preceeding posts. However Brian Patrick is working on such a book, so we will have to be patient for moth identification until it is published.

[Charlotte]

I must take a look at these books sometime.
Al & I went to the COromandel on the weekend and we popped into the Thames butterfly house.
The Thames butterfly house has changed and had a lot more active butterflies and a really big moth.
I will upload photos to flicker soon for everyone to see;-))

Cheers
Char

[Elizabeth]

Thanks Darren – I had a squizz at it via your link, and it looks very good. With 52 moths, I should be able to identify most, hopefully! (If they’d keep still long enough)

[Darren]

Brian Parkinson (2000). Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand. Reed: Auckland, NZ
ISBN 0 7900 0734 7

This nice little A5 book lists 8 butterflies and 52 moths found in NZ. The butterflies get a double page and the moths get a single page. It lists common name, m?ori name, latin name, family, development, distribution, field characteristics, and similar species. Great photos mostly by Brian Patrick.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=325793&l=818d13b407&id=100000477550786

[Elizabeth]

Thanks very much Anna – sounds a great collection of books you have! I’ll have a look around locally to see if I can find any of them first before going online. I’m sorry to admit that I’d never replaced my UK book since emigrating! But did find Common Insects of NZ by David Miller in a secondhand bookshop – it’s quite good up to a point, but for what I want there’s not nearly enough on moths/butterflies.

[Anna]

Elizabeth, I have several now, but so far haven’t found one with all of them in.
Here are the ones I have found helpful so far:

Which New Zealand Insect? by Andrew Crowe. 128 page book.(This has 24 pages dealing with moths, 9 pages of butterflies, and lots of other insects found in NZ all in colour.) I have found this book great, although oneday I hope I can find a book, that has images of the caterpillars of each butterfly/moth. This book does have some, and thats a great help.

Another book is Insects and Spiders, by John Early. 176 pages It has lovely full page images with 24 pages devoted to moths/butterflies, and has lots of interesting information about them, along with other insects.

Then theres the photographic guide to Insects of New Zealand by Brian Parkinson using photographs by Don Horne. 143 page book with 27 pages devoted to moths and butterflies, then lots of other insects etc.

Ruud Kleinpastes book Backyard Battlefield has 175 pages of which 21 are devoted to moths and butterflies, and the rest of the book has really interesting facts etc on insects as well.

I find all of these books a great help, all books are in colour and if you can’t find something in one, its almost sure to be in one of the others.

I hope this is a little bit of help…and it would be good to hear if theres other books that can be of help.

[Author]

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