Butterflies of Pakistan

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"This is the first attempt to describe and illustrate all the known butterflies found in Pakistan. Of the 320 species listed in the checklist, only 317 species are covered in the text, with illustrations (by the author) of each one, including their underwing pattern and where noticeably different, both male and female forms. The introductory chapters describe in detail the great variety of form in their early stages of development, and what we understand of their responses to visual, olfactory, and gustatory stimuli. Also general aspects of courtship, predator defences, and adaptability to climate extremes. With over 60 per cent of Pakistan's surface area covered by mountainous territory, often of a semi-arid nature, the butterfly fauna is largely Palaearctic in origin, and includes a host of species associated with what Phyto-Geographers describe as the lrano-Turanian floristic region. This region is not well covered by books on the Indian region fauna as a whole, and it is richly represented by Pieridae (Whites and Yellows), as well as Satyrinae (Rockbrowns and Satyrs). In the high alpine areas, of the far north there are sixteen species of Snow Apollos (Parnassius sp.), ten Clouded Yellows (Colias sp.) and many Blues (Polyommatus sp.). Both the account of major habitat regions and the specially prepared Gazetteer focus on this rather inaccessible and little known area."--BOOK JACKET.

SYNOPSIS

Roberts, an ornithologist commended for surveying Pakistan's birds and wildflowers, seeks to catalog all of its known butterflies. The 47 color plates introduce such species as the large Jewel Blue, Chapman's Cupid, and the Himalayan Dart, and display their habitat, behavior, and predators. The 317 descriptions including scientific name, wingspan, status, and habits (if known) are preceded by chapters on butterfly biology, classification, and distribution. Includes maps, a checklist of families and subfamilies, glossary, a gazetteer with coordinates for many unmapped regions, and a foreword by the World Wide Fund for Nature's president.