Ivor Migdoll's Field Guide to the Butterflies of Southern Africa

Author: Ivor Migdoll

Number of pages: 256

Year published: 1987

Edition: 1st

Published by: C. Struik

Softcover

ISBN: 0 86977 556 1

Web site: Struik Nature

The Wildebeests Review of Ivor Migdolls Field Guide to the Butterflies

This was the first insect book that I ever bought and, to be honest, I didn’t use it too much at the time. Birdwatching was my all-consuming pastime. As time went by and I became more interested in nature photography I dusted the book off and started using it to identify the butterflies that I was photographing. Today I have several butterfly books and even more titles on insects generally.

Butterflies are fascinating creatures, and one learns a lot by using a field guide such as this one. It covers 232 species of butterfly which is both a good and bad thing. It only includes the species that you are most likely to see so you don’t need to page through hundreds of species trying to identify that butterfly you saw in your garden. The bad part is when you have worn the pages out trying to identify a butterfly and you cannot find it in the book.

The quality of the more than 600 photographs is very good although many of them were taken from collected specimens. Each species has a distribution map and a thorough description of the species along with its habits and host plants. The first 32 pages of this guide cover all aspects of butterfly anatomy, behaviour, captive breeding as well as capturing specimens and preserving them correctly.

As I write this review is 2022 and this book can still be found in second-hand bookstores and at flea markets. If you see a copy, then I suggest that you add it to your library: you cannot have too many books to refer to when you are trying to identify butterflies and other insects. One issue with buying this book now, and it is not the fault of this title, is that southern African butterflies have gone through an extensive renaming project. I wish the various natural history organisations would leave the names as they are...

---

Some of the subjects in this publication

African Plain Tiger - Page: 145
Friar - Page: 145
Layman - Page: 146
Common Evening Brown - Page: 146
Novice - Page: 146
Black-haired Bush Brown - Page: 147
Marsh Patroller - Page: 147
Table Mountain Beauty - Page: 148
Bush Beauty - Page: 148
Pondoland Autumn Widow - Page: 148
Northern Autumn Widow - Page: 149
Dark Speckled Widow - Page: 149
Midlands Widow - Page: 149
Sand-dune Spring Widow - Page: 150
Zulu Shadefly - Page: 150
Golden Gate Veined Widow - Page: 150
Dark Wanderer - Page: 151
Western Hillside Brown - Page: 151
Machacha Brown - Page: 151
Garden Acraea - Page: 152
Wandering Donkey Acraea - Page: 152
Tree-top Telchinia - Page: 152
Rainforest Acraea - Page: 153
East Coast Acraea - Page: 153
Dusky-veined Telchinia - Page: 153
Marsh Telchinia - Page: 154
Yellow-banded Telchinia - Page: 154
Small Orange Acraea - Page: 154
Black-based Acraea - Page: 155
Dusky Telchinia - Page: 155
Fiery Acraea - Page: 155
Acara Acraea - Page: 156
Clear-spotted Acraea - Page: 156
Window Acraea - Page: 156
Broad-bordered Acraea - Page: 157
Blood-red Acraea - Page: 157
Pearl Charaxes - Page: 158
Green-veined Charaxes - Page: 158
Polka Dot - Page: 158
Forest-king Charaxes - Page: 159
Foxy Charaxes - Page: 159
White-barred Charaxes - Page: 159
Large Blue Charaxes - Page: 160
Blue-spotted Charaxes - Page: 160
Club-tailed Charaxes - Page: 161
Bushveld Charaxes - Page: 161
Pearl-spotted Charaxes - Page: 161
Satyr Charaxes - Page: 162
Forest Queen - Page: 162
Gold-banded Forester - Page: 163
Battling Glider - Page: 163
Blonde Glider - Page: 163
Boisduvals False Acraea - Page: 164
False Wanderer - Page: 164
False Chief - Page: 165
Spotted Sailer - Page: 165
Streaked Sailer - Page: 165
Pied Piper - Page: 166
Golden Piper - Page: 166
African Joker - Page: 166
Common Diadem - Page: 167
Deceptive Diadem - Page: 167
Boisduvals Tree Nymph - Page: 168
Variable Diadem - Page: 168
Common Mother-of-Pearl - Page: 169
Bronze Tree Nymph - Page: 169
Brown Pansy - Page: 170
Pirate - Page: 170
Clouded Mother-of-pearl - Page: 170
Southern Gaudy Commodore - Page: 171
Soldier Pansy - Page: 171
African Leaf Butterfly - Page: 171
Yellow Pansy - Page: 172
Dark Blue Pansy - Page: 172
Garden Inspector - Page: 172
Painted Lady - Page: 173
Southern Short-tailed Admiral - Page: 173
African Blue Pansy - Page: 173
Blotched Leopard - Page: 174
Long-tailed Admiral - Page: 174
African Leopard - Page: 174
African Snout - Page: 175
Yellow Zulu - Page: 175
Spotted Buff - Page: 175
Natal Rocksitter - Page: 176
Amakosa Rocksitter - Page: 176
Zulu Yellow Buff - Page: 177
Bushveld Plain Buff - Page: 177
Natal Mottled Buff - Page: 177
Millars Large Buff - Page: 178
Common Zebra Blue - Page: 178
Boland Skolly - Page: 179
Common Woolly Legs - Page: 179
Knysna Skolly - Page: 179
Orange-barred Playboy - Page: 180
Black-and-orange Playboy - Page: 180
Apricot Playboy - Page: 181
Brown Playboy - Page: 181
Common Fig-tree Blue - Page: 182
Lesser Fig-tree Blue - Page: 182
Purple-brown Hairstreak - Page: 183
Buxtons Hairstreak - Page: 183
Chequered Pierrot - Page: 184
Azure Hairstreak - Page: 184
Saffron Sapphire - Page: 185
Southern Sapphire - Page: 185
Mimosa Sapphire - Page: 186
Red-line Sapphire - Page: 186
Natal Yellow-banded Sapphire - Page: 187
Yellow-banded Sapphire - Page: 187
Brown-line Sapphire - Page: 188
Short-barred Sapphire - Page: 188
Natal Bar - Page: 189
Hutchinsons High-flier - Page: 189
Brilliant Gem - Page: 190
Mozambique Silverline - Page: 190
Ellas Silverline - Page: 190
Purple Gem - Page: 191
Eastern Scarlet - Page: 191
Bush Scarlet - Page: 192
Tailed Black-eye - Page: 192
Cape Black-eye - Page: 193
Lilac-based Black-eye - Page: 193
Orange-banded Protea - Page: 194
iNkomasi Protea - Page: 194
Silver Arrowhead - Page: 195
King Copper - Page: 195
Steel-blue Ciliate Blue - Page: 196
Warrior Silver-spotted Copper - Page: 196
Black-striped Ciliate Blue - Page: 197
Large Ciliate Blue - Page: 197
Pale Ciliate Blue - Page: 197
Common Geranium Bronze - Page: 198
Bush Bronze - Page: 198
Dotted Pierrot - Page: 199
Black Pie - Page: 199
Pea Blue - Page: 200
Vivid Pierrot - Page: 200
Cupreous Ash Blue - Page: 201
Marsh Mountain Blue - Page: 201
White-tipped Ash Blue - Page: 201
Meadow Blue - Page: 202
Grass Jewel Blue - Page: 202
Topaz Babul Blue - Page: 203
Dwarf Blue - Page: 203
Tiny Grass Blue - Page: 204
Eastern Sorrel Copper - Page: 204
Red Russet - Page: 205
Giant Russet - Page: 205
Dune Russet - Page: 206
Silvery Russet - Page: 206
Natal Russet - Page: 206
Dusky Russet - Page: 207
Veined Russet - Page: 207
Mooi River Opal - Page: 208
Pyramus Opal - Page: 208
Karoo Daisy Copper - Page: 208
Thysbe Opal - Page: 209
Natal Opal - Page: 209
Uranus Opal - Page: 210
Dark Opal - Page: 210
King Giant Cupid - Page: 211
Variable Giant Cupid - Page: 211
Zulu Giant Cupid - Page: 211
Koppie Giant Cupid - Page: 212
Twin-spot Giant Cupid - Page: 212
Zebra White - Page: 213
Free State Giant Cupid - Page: 213
Patrician Giant Cupid - Page: 213
African Clouded Yellow - Page: 214
African Migrant - Page: 214
Broad-bordered Grass Yellow - Page: 215
Lowveld Grass Yellow - Page: 215
Vine-leaf Vagrant - Page: 216
Angled Grass Yellow - Page: 216
Autumn-leaf Vagrant - Page: 217
Large Vagrant - Page: 217
Buquets Vagrant - Page: 218
Cambridge Vagrant - Page: 218
Southern Veined Arab - Page: 219
Desert Arab - Page: 219
Topaz Arab - Page: 219
Lilac Tip - Page: 220
Coast Purple Tip - Page: 220
Bushveld Purple Tip - Page: 221
Scarlet Tip - Page: 222
Queen Purple Tip - Page: 222
Red Tip - Page: 223
Sulphur Orange Tip - Page: 223
African Orange Tip - Page: 224
Bushveld Orange Tip - Page: 224
Small Orange Tip - Page: 225
Speckled Sulphur Tip - Page: 225
Banded Gold Tip - Page: 226
Lemon Traveller - Page: 226
Forest Caper White - Page: 227
False Dotted Border - Page: 227
African Caper White - Page: 228
Pioneer Caper White - Page: 228
African Veined White - Page: 229
African Ant-heap White - Page: 229
Small Ant-heap White - Page: 230
Black-veined Ant-heap White - Page: 230
Sulphur Ant-heap White - Page: 231
Diverse Albatross White - Page: 231
Southern Meadow White - Page: 232
African Wood White - Page: 232
Twin Dotted Border - Page: 232
Mocker Swallowtail - Page: 233
Bush-Kite - Page: 234
White-banded Swallowtail - Page: 234
Citrus Swallowtail - Page: 235
Shade Swallowtail - Page: 235
Narrow Green-banded Swallowtail - Page: 236
White Lady - Page: 237
Emperor Swallowtail - Page: 237
Veined Swordtail - Page: 238
Small Striped Swordtail - Page: 238
Mamba Swordtail - Page: 239
Striped Policeman - Page: 239
Clouded Flat - Page: 240
Large Flat - Page: 240
Mountain Sandman - Page: 241
Forest Elfin - Page: 241
Buff-tipped Skipper - Page: 241
Gold-spotted Sylph - Page: 242
Macomo Ranger - Page: 242
White-cloaked Skipper - Page: 243
Pale Ranger - Page: 243
Strelitzia Night-fighter - Page: 243
Masked Dodger - Page: 244
Bush Night-fighter - Page: 244

---

Top