[HELICONIUS] Origin of "Dennis" name & first ever Heliconius crosses

[Jim Mallet]

An question from a year ago about colour patterns.  Last information item 
for now.

A quick question with a long answer!:

>Date: Fri, 15 Apr 2005 01:01:55 +0100
>To: "W. Owen McMillan" <wmcmilla at rrpac.upr.clu.edu>
>From: Jim Mallet <j.mallet at ucl.ac.uk>
>Subject: Re: Heliconius news; www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/broods/
>
>Hi Owen,
>
>At 13:12 14/04/2005, you wrote:
>>Anyway, I have a quick question.  Why is the red forewing patch [in 
>>Amazonian races] called Dennis?  Does it mean anything? Owen
>
>Dennis was the name of a favourite Heliconius melpomene who was "a 
>repulsion heterozygote" Bd/bD from Suriname, Dennis the Menace.  I think 
>he was named by William Beebe (and Jocelyn Crane, his assistant), but John 
>RG Turner might also have had a hand in the naming, I don't know.  Dennis 
>the Menace of course had the forewing basal patch, but no rays; hence the 
>name for the pattern.  I can't remember how I know this, but you might try 
>Turner 1972:
>
>Turner,JRG (1972): The genetics of some polymorphic forms of the
>butterflies _Heliconius melpomene_ (Linnaeus) and _Heliconius erato_
>(Linnaeus).  II.  The hybridization of subspecies of _H. melpomene_ from 
>Surinam and Trinidad. Zoologica, N.Y. 56, 125-157.
>
>for a start, then:
>
>Turner,JRG; Crane,J (1962): The genetics of some polymorphic forms of
>the butterflies _Heliconius melpomene_ Linnaeus and _Heliconius erato_
>Linnaeus.  I.  Major genes. Zoologica, N.Y. 47, 141-152.
>
>However, on page 457 of:
>
>Sheppard,PM; Turner,JRG; Brown,KS; Benson,WW; Singer,MC (1985): Genetics 
>and the evolution of muellerian mimicry in _Heliconius_ butterflies. Phil. 
>Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 308, 433-613.
>
>... you can find details of Dennis the Menace himself, and his progeny and 
>descendents; as a male parent of various broods.
>
>Jim
>
>>NB, for the original "Dennis" citation (I just verified it is not in 
>>Turner & Crane 1962, and they refer to analysis of some of Beebe's 
>>broods) I suggest trying Beebe 1955 which I DO NOT HAVE AND WHICH WASN'T 
>>EVEN IN MY BIBLIOGRAPHY!!!:
>>
>>Beebe,W (1955): Polymorphism in reared broods of _Heliconius_
>>butterflies from Surinam and Trinidad. Zoologica, N.Y. 40, 139-143. 
>>[n.b., I have it now -- Mar 2006 -- and I've put it online at: 
>>http://www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/lit/beebe55.pdf, available from the 
>>http://www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/jim/helicinf.htm page]
>>
>>This could be THE FIRST Heliconius genetics paper ever!  [I am still 
>>pretty sure it is.  I eventually got my copy from the London NHM. For the 
>>first discussion of a Heliconius hybrid zone, by Henry Walter Bates 
>>(1863), see: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/jim/Mim/Bates63_2.html  -- Mar 2006].
>
>
>>On 4/12/05 8:07 PM, "Jim Mallet" <j.mallet at ucl.ac.uk> wrote:
>>
>> > News about Heliconius internet information
>> >
>> > Dear All,
>> >
>> > I just put up our second instalment of brood data, photographed and
>> > databased by Fraser Simpson.  The new data are the "Venezuela" (i.e. 
>> really
>> > NE Colombia) x Costa Rica Heliconius melpomene crosses performed in 1979;
>> > the data show crossovers between N and Yb, as well as the existence of a
>> > new gene affecting forewing yellow band that I call M/m.
>> >
>> > Anyway I think we are now well ahead in putting Heliconius broods online;
>> > time for you guys to compete a little...
>> >
>> > See http://www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/broods/ for details.
>> >
>> > Meanwhile, http://abacus.gene.ucl.ac.uk is to be decommissioned because it
>> > is getting old and the security risks of running a machine are now very
>> > high.  All of my pages will probably be moved to www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/
>> > eventually.
>> >
>> > Meanwhile, Chris Jiggins has started up www.heliconius.org. You should
>> > visit this for details of EST databases etc.
>> >
>> > All the best, Jim
>> >
>
>http://www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/jim/