(excerpt)
I was eager to review this publication. When I was a young person, first starting the pursuit of Lepidoptera, any literature that increased my knowledge was as valuable as the specimens I collected. Checklists were especially welcome. A primary purpose for the formation of The Ohio Lepidopterists society was to record the occurrence of Lepidoptera in Ohio. My ardent commitment to document Ohio\u27s fauna over the past 20 years gives me insight into the work necessary to create and produce a publication of this type

Metzler, Eric H

English

Valparaiso University

The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 30 Numbers 1 & 2 - Spring/Summer 1997 Numbers 1 & 2 - Spring/Summer 1997 Article 9 December 2017 Annotated List of Ontario Lepidoptera, by J. C. E. Riotte. 1992. Royal Ontario Museum, Publications in Life Sciences, Miscellaneous Publication. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Thronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C6. 208 pp. Soft cover, 15 x 22.5 cm. ISBN 0-88854-397-2. $19.95 Canadian (about $16.00 U.S.) Eric H. Metzler The Ohio Lepidopterists Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle  Part of the Entomology Commons Recommended Citation Metzler, Eric H. 2017. "Annotated List of Ontario Lepidoptera, by J. C. E. Riotte. 1992. Royal Ontario Museum, Publications in Life Sciences, Miscellaneous Publication. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Thronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C6. 208 pp. Soft cover, 15 x 22.5 cm. ISBN 0-88854-397-2. $19.95 Canadian (about $16.00 U.S.)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 30 (1) Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol30/iss1/9 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST1997 67 BOOK REVIEW ANNOTATED LIST OF ONTARIO LEPIDOPTERA, by J. C. E. Riotte. 1992. Royal Ontario Museum, Publications in Life Sciences, Miscellaneous Publica­tion. Royal O tario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Thronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C6. 208 pp. Soft cover, 15 x 22.5 cm. ISBN 0-88854-397-2. $19.95 Canadian (about $16.00 U.S.) I was eager to review th s publication. When I was a young person, first starting the pursuit of Lepidoptera, any literature that increased my knowl­edge was as valuable as the specimens I collected. Checklists were especially welcome. A primary purpose for the formation of The Ohio Lepidopterists so­ciety was to record the occurrence of Lepidoptera in Ohio. My ardent commit­ment to document Ohio's fauna over the past 20 years gives me insight into the work necessary to create and produce a publication of this type. My in­volvement with th  Ohio Survey of Lepidoptera led me to work on a similar publication for Ohio, now in manuscript, thus my review of Riotte's work re­flects both my interests as a lepidopterist and my experience as the author of a similarly conceived publication. This publication is icely prepared and visually pleasing. The photogra­pher of the handsome cover illustration is not credited. I was at first re­minded of early lists, such as J. B. Smith's contributions in The Insects of New Jersey (1910. Annual Report of the New Jersey State Museum Including a Report of th  Insects of New Jersey 1909. MacCrellish & Quigley, State Printers. Trenton, New Jersey. 888 pp.) which gave me the feeling that Riotte was trying to emulate these long lasting a d often looked-to works. Unfortu­nately, the Ontario book s perfect bound, which allows single she ts to fall out over time. It is unfortunate that Riotte's efforts are compromised because the publisher failed to have the book bound in signatures. The book begins with a routine Introduction. Included is a map of On­tario that identifies faunal regions based on climatic and geologic factors. The regions are nicely explained, although a key on the map would have helped. Additional maps show districts, counties, and selected municipalities. These place names are linked to the distributional descriptions in the check list. Because Lepidoptera are herbivores, I would like to have seen a phyto­geographic map to help explain distributions. The Materials a d Methods chapter explains the sources of the data by collector, collection, publication, and date. The nomenclature nd presentation ofthe data are described. The systematic arrangement of higher taxa in the List of Species gener­ally follows the R. W. Hodges et. al. Ch ck List of the Lepidoptera of America North of Mexico (1983. E. W. Classey, Limited and The Wedge Entomological Research Foundation. Washington, D.C., 284 pp.). The Noctuidae are par­tially rearranged to follow Robert W. Poole's Lepidopterorum Catalogus (new series), Fascicle 118, Noctuidae (1989. E. J. BrillJFlora & Fauna Publications. Leiden, The Netherlands. 3 vols., 1,341 pp.): the species are listed alphabeti­cally; and no subspecies are given. No check list numbers are used, and au­thors, but not dates of description are given. Other deviations from the 1Metzler: Annotated List of Ontario Lepidoptera, by J. C. E. Riotte. 1992.Published by ValpoScholar, 201768 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 30, No. 1 & 2 Hodges Check List are briefly explained in the check list. Many groups of moths are not included in the check list: Copromorphoidea (in part), Gele­chioidea, Tineoidea (in part), Thrtricoidea, and Yponomeutoidea (in part). The annotations vary considerably depending on group. Minimally, the annotation includes the recorded distribution of the species and common names, if previously published in P. Benoit's Noms Franr,;ais d'Insects au Canada avec Lat ns et Anglais Correspondants, 4ieme ed. (1975. Agriculture, Quebec. Quebec. 214 pp.). For two groups f moths aloidea and Noctu­idae-the annotations are limited to the occurrence of species in the four faunal regions. For these two groups, additional notes ar  sparingly added to cite: localities for species deemed interesting or extremely limited in distribu­tion; O tario's type localities; and some synonymies. The annotations for other groups are expanded to include specific localities, museums that hold voucher specimens, dat s of capture, number of generations per year, relative abundance, subspecies, forms, and the gender of the latinized name. There are no species' distribution maps. The publication concludes with Acknowl­edgements, Literature Cited, and Index of Scientific Names. Riotte ncluded the most information about groups that appeal to the most lepidopterists, or for which the most information is known, e.g. Geometridae, which takes advantage of McGuffin's works on the Geometri­dae of Canada. For lepidopterists of On a o and neighboring areas, Riotte partially filled a gap, but he missed the mark in the comprehensive treat­ment of Ontario Lepidoptera by not including all families. He excluded groups, mostly microlepidoptera, which he judged to be too poorly known. Thus his approach compiles existing information, but falls short of being de­finitive. Lepidopterists, especially microlepidopterists, are often frustrated by the lack of baseline data. The data in the collections of the Canadian Na­tional Collection in Ottawa, as well as other collections, should have been used to document the names, if not the complete ranges, of these insects in Ontario. A list of species, even if incomplete, is better than nothing, a d col­lectors of small moths would be much better served. As it they have little to gain from this book. My last comment transcends the parochial school of lepidopterology. Many of us, including Riotte in his Introduction, note the loss of habitat and subsequent reduction in the number of species. Baseline data can be impor­tant tools in conserving biological diversity. Publications such a  Riotte's can document the occurrence of species for future comparisons. Riotte should have expanded his search for data beyond i stitutional collections and pub­lished papers. The protocol of data collection for the OhioSu vey of Lepi­doptera demons rated that private and individual collections are extremely important for documenting species' occurrences and abundance. Many species that occur in Ohio are not yet vouchered in institutional collections. The usefulness of Riotte's work is also impa red by his failure to describe how and where the data that he collected are filed. Are th y on paper or computer files? Are they in his personal possession or in an institution? By including such information, Riotte would have assisted future researchers who may want to compare this relatively well known group of insects to other animals or plants. When I read lists, such as this one, 1 always wish authors had included more information. In this case, I feel that the Introduction and/or the Meth­ods and Materials were incomplete. Because Riotte did no  fully document his methods, the thoroughness and completeness of his work cannot be known. For example, I was unable to determine how the author decided which synonymies to include, or why they were included. Poole (1989. Lepi­dopterorum Catalogus (new series), Fascicle 118, Noctuidae. op. cit.) syn­2The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 30, No. 1 [2017], Art. 9https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol30/iss1/9THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST1997 69 onymized several genera with Apamea. Riotte followed Poole accurately, yet he only cited the synonymy of Trichoplexia. Riotte corrected the genus of the noctuid, Anterastria teratophora, but he did not move it to the Acontiinae. The prose needs more editing. Although I can surmise the intent of the phrase "moths suffer a more serious lack of material," it is our understand­ing or knowledge, rather than moths, that suffer. The mixture of complete and incomplete sentences in the annotations is inconsistent. In keeping with our desire to know more about the distribution of Lepi­doptera, Riotte's book fills an important niche. He lists many groups f Lepi­doptera, especially the ones that are important to most collectors, and he doc­uments their occurrence in Ontario, cites useful literature, and tells us where to find the specimens if needed for further study. His annotations will help many lepidopterists. My desire for these types of publications has not diminished over the years. As we continue to appreciate the importance of Lepidoptera in our struggles to reduce habita  destruction, conserve biologi­cal diversity, and protect our environment, books like Riotte's book become even more imp rtant. In spite of the book's deficiencies, I still recommend it as a useful reference. Eric H. Metzler The Ohio Lepidopterists 1241 Kildale Square N. Columbus, OH 43229-1306 3Metzler: Annotated List of Ontario Lepidoptera, by J. C. E. Riotte. 1992.Published by ValpoScholar, 2017

Annotated List of Ontario Lepidoptera, by J. C. E. Riotte. 1992.  Royal Ontario Museum, Publications in Life Sciences, Miscellaneous Publication. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen\u27s Park, Thronto, Ontario, Canada  M5S 2C6. 208 pp. Soft cover, 15 x 22.5 cm. ISBN 0-88854-397-2. $19.95 Canadian (about $16.00 U.S.)

ValpoScholar

The Great Lakes Entomologist 
Volume 30 
Numbers 1 & 2 - Spring/Summer 1997 Numbers 
1 & 2 - Spring/Summer 1997 
Article 9 
December 2017 
Annotated List of Ontario Lepidoptera, by J. C. E. Riotte. 1992. 
Royal Ontario Museum, Publications in Life Sciences, 
Miscellaneous Publication. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's 
Park, Thronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C6. 208 pp. Soft cover, 15 x 
22.5 cm. ISBN 0-88854-397-2. $19.95 Canadian (about $16.00 
U.S.) 
Eric H. Metzler 
The Ohio Lepidopterists 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle 
 Part of the Entomology Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Metzler, Eric H. 2017. "Annotated List of Ontario Lepidoptera, by J. C. E. Riotte. 1992. Royal Ontario 
Museum, Publications in Life Sciences, Miscellaneous Publication. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's 
Park, Thronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C6. 208 pp. Soft cover, 15 x 22.5 cm. ISBN 0-88854-397-2. $19.95 
Canadian (about $16.00 U.S.)," The Great Lakes Entomologist, vol 30 (1) 
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol30/iss1/9 
This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Biology at ValpoScholar. It has 
been accepted for inclusion in The Great Lakes Entomologist by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For 
more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at scholar@valpo.edu. 
THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST1997 67 
BOOK REVIEW 

ANNOTATED LIST OF ONTARIO LEPIDOPTERA, by J. C. E. Riotte. 1992. 
Royal Ontario Museum, Publications in Life Sciences, Miscellaneous Publica­
tion. Royal O tario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Thronto, Ontario, Canada 
M5S 2C6. 208 pp. Soft cover, 15 x 22.5 cm. ISBN 0-88854-397-2. $19.95 
Canadian 
(about $16.00 U.S.) 
I 
was eager to review th s publication. When I was a young person, first 
starting the pursuit of 
Lepidoptera, 
any literature that increased my knowl­
edge was as valuable as the specimens I collected. Checklists were especially 
welcome. A primary purpose for the formation of The Ohio Lepidopterists so­
ciety was to record the occurrence of Lepidoptera in Ohio. My ardent commit­
ment to document Ohio's fauna over the past 20 years gives me insight into 
the 
work necessary to create 
and produce a publication of this type. My in­
volvement with th  Ohio Survey of Lepidoptera led me to work on a similar 
publication for Ohio, now in manuscript, thus my review of Riotte's work re­
flects both my interests as a lepidopterist and my experience as the author of 
a similarly conceived publication. 
This publication is icely prepared and visually pleasing. The photogra­
pher of the handsome 
cover 
illustration is not credited. I was at first re­
minded of early 
lists, such 
as J. B. Smith's contributions in The Insects of 
New Jersey (1910. Annual Report of the New Jersey State Museum Including 
a Report of th  Insects of New Jersey 1909. MacCrellish & Quigley, State 
Printers. 
Trenton, New Jersey. 888 pp.) which gave me 
the feeling that Riotte 
was trying 
to 
emulate these long lasting a d often looked-to works. Unfortu­
nately, the Ontario book s perfect bound, which allows single she ts to fall 
out 
over time. 
It is unfortunate that Riotte's efforts are compromised because 
the publisher 
failed to have 
the book bound in signatures. 
The book begins with a routine Introduction. Included is a map of On­
tario that 
identifies 
faunal regions based on climatic and geologic factors. 
The 
regions 
are nicely explained, although a key on the map would have 
helped. Additional maps show districts, counties, and selected municipalities. 
These 
place 
names are linked to the distributional descriptions in the check 
list. Because Lepidoptera are herbivores, I would like to have seen a phyto­
geographic map to help explain distributions. The Materials a d Methods 
chapter 
explains 
the sources of the data by collector, collection, publication, 
and 
date. 
The nomenclature nd presentation ofthe data are described. 
The systematic arrangement of higher taxa in the List of Species gener­
ally follows the R. W. Hodges et. al. Ch ck List of the Lepidoptera of America 
North of Mexico (1983. E. W. Classey, Limited and The Wedge Entomological 
Research Foundation. 
Washington, D.C., 284 pp.). 
The Noctuidae are par­
tially rearranged to follow Robert W. Poole's Lepidopterorum Catalogus (new 
series), Fascicle 118, Noctuidae (1989. E. J. BrillJFlora & Fauna Publications. 
Leiden, The Netherlands. 3 vols., 1,341 pp.): the species are listed alphabeti­
cally; and no subspecies are given. No check list numbers are used, and au­
thors, but not dates of description are 
given. 
Other deviations from the 
1
Metzler: Annotated List of Ontario Lepidoptera, by J. C. E. Riotte. 1992.
Published by ValpoScholar, 2017
68 THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST Vol. 30, No. 1 & 2 
Hodges Check List are briefly explained in the check list. Many groups of 
moths are not 
included 
in the check list: Copromorphoidea (in part), Gele­
chioidea, Tineoidea (in part), Thrtricoidea, and Yponomeutoidea (in part). 
The annotations vary considerably depending on group. Minimally, the 
annotation includes the 
recorded 
distribution of the species and common 
names, if previously published in P. 
Benoit's 
Noms Franr,;ais d'Insects au 
Canada avec Lat ns et Anglais Correspondants, 4ieme ed. (1975. Agriculture, 
Quebec. Quebec. 214 pp.). For two groups f moths aloidea and Noctu­
idae-the annotations are 
limited 
to the occurrence of species in the four 
faunal 
regions. For 
these two groups, additional notes ar  sparingly added to 
cite: localities for species deemed interesting or extremely limited in distribu­
tion; O tario's type localities; and some synonymies. The annotations for 
other 
groups 
are expanded to include specific localities, museums that hold 
voucher specimens, dat s of capture, number of generations per year, relative 
abundance, subspecies, forms, and the gender of the latinized name. There 
are 
no species' distribution maps. The publication concludes 
with Acknowl­
edgements, Literature Cited, and Index of Scientific Names. 
Riotte ncluded the most information about groups that appeal to the 
most lepidopterists, or 
for 
which the most information is known, e.g. 
Geometridae, which takes advantage of McGuffin's works on the Geometri­
dae 
of 
Canada. For lepidopterists of On a o and neighboring areas, Riotte 
partially 
filled a gap, 
but he missed the mark in the comprehensive treat­
ment of Ontario Lepidoptera 
by 
not including all families. He excluded 
groups, mostly microlepidoptera, which he judged to be too poorly known. 
Thus his 
approach compiles existing information, 
but falls short of being de­
finitive. Lepidopterists, especially microlepidopterists, are often frustrated 
by the 
lack 
of baseline data. The data in the collections of the Canadian Na­
tional 
Collection 
in Ottawa, as well as other collections, should have been 
used 
to document 
the names, if not the complete ranges, of these insects in 
Ontario. A list of species, even if incomplete, is better than nothing, a d col­
lectors of small moths would be much better served. As it they have little 
to gain from this book. 
My last comment transcends the parochial school of lepidopterology. 
Many of 
us, including Riotte 
in his Introduction, note the loss of habitat and 
subsequent 
reduction 
in the number of species. Baseline data can be impor­
tant 
tools 
in conserving biological diversity. Publications such a  Riotte's can 
document the 
occurrence 
of species for future comparisons. Riotte should 
have expanded his search for data beyond i stitutional collections and pub­
lished papers. The 
protocol 
of data collection for the OhioSu vey of Lepi­
doptera demons rated that private and individual collections are extremely 
important 
for 
documenting species' occurrences and abundance. Many 
species that occur in Ohio are not yet vouchered in institutional collections. 
The 
usefulness 
of Riotte's work is also impa red by his failure to describe how 
and where the data that 
he collected 
are filed. Are th y on paper or computer 
files? Are they in his personal possession or in an institution? By including 
such 
information, Riotte would 
have assisted future researchers who may 
want 
to compare 
this relatively well known group of insects to other animals 
or plants. 
When I 
read lists, such as this one, 1 always wish authors had included 
more information. In this case, I feel that the Introduction and/or the Meth­
ods and Materials were incomplete. Because Riotte did no  fully document 
his methods, the thoroughness and completeness of his work cannot be 
known. 
For example, I was unable to determine how the author decided 
which synonymies to include, or why they were included. Poole (1989. Lepi­
dopterorum Catalogus (new series), Fascicle 118, Noctuidae. op. cit.) syn­
2
The Great Lakes Entomologist, Vol. 30, No. 1 [2017], Art. 9
https://scholar.valpo.edu/tgle/vol30/iss1/9
THE GREAT LAKES ENTOMOLOGIST1997 69 
onymized several genera with Apamea. Riotte followed Poole accurately, yet 
he 
only cited 
the synonymy of Trichoplexia. Riotte corrected the genus of the 
noctuid, Anterastria teratophora, but he did not move it to the Acontiinae. 
The prose needs more editing. Although I can surmise the intent of the 
phrase 
"moths suffer a more serious lack 
of material," it is our understand­
ing or 
knowledge, 
rather than moths, that suffer. The mixture of complete 
and 
incomplete sentences 
in the annotations is inconsistent. 
In 
keeping 
with our desire to know more about the distribution of Lepi­
doptera, Riotte's book fills an important niche. He lists many groups f Lepi­
doptera, especially the ones that are important to most collectors, and he doc­
uments their 
occurrence 
in Ontario, cites useful literature, and tells us 
where 
to find 
the specimens if needed for further study. His annotations will 
help many 
lepidopterists. My desire for 
these types of publications has not 
diminished 
over 
the years. As we continue to appreciate the importance of 
Lepidoptera in our struggles to reduce habita  destruction, conserve biologi­
cal diversity, and protect our environment, books like Riotte's book become 
even more imp rtant. In spite of the book's deficiencies, I still recommend it 
as 
a useful reference. 
Eric H. Metzler The 
Ohio Lepidopterists 
1241 Kildale 
Square N. 
Columbus, OH 43229-1306 
3
Metzler: Annotated List of Ontario Lepidoptera, by J. C. E. Riotte. 1992.
Published by ValpoScholar, 2017


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