Additional Information About Butterfly Collections and Species Identification

Viljo Lauro’s butterfly collection includes the Apollo (Parnassius apollo), which later disappeared from the Satakunta region. This specimen was collected while Lauro worked as a priest in Tyrvää between 1934 and 1948.

The Apollo mentioned in the text is displayed in the Day Butterflies display case.

The Dusky Sweep (Pachythelia villosella) became part of Viljo Lauro’s butterfly collection during the years 1934–1948, when Lauro worked as a pastor in Tyrvää. The larva of this species carries a plant-covered case with it throughout its entire life.

The Dusky Sweep mentioned in the text is displayed in the Day Butterflies display case.

The number of Death’s-head Hawkmoths (Acherontia atropos) in Finland has significantly decreased since Viljo Lauro’s time. Potatoes are one of the food plants for the Death’s-head Hawkmoth. In the 1950s, this moth was quite common. The arrival of the Colorado Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), a pest of potatoes, led to the use of pesticides in potato fields. As a result, the number of Death’s-head Hawkmoths has dropped so much that nowadays only a few specimens end up in butterfly collections in Finland each year.

There is a funny story about one moth being found: A cat in the house was strangely interested in a berry bush in the garden. Its paws were busy among the branches. When someone went to check what was going on, the creature the cat was trying to catch turned out to be a Death’s-head Hawkmoth. The moth is about the size of a small mouse.

The Death’s-head Hawkmoth mentioned in the text is displayed in the Owlet moths III, Spinners, Hawk Moths display case.

Viljo Lauro enjoyed staying in touch with other local butterfly enthusiasts. One example is a very rare specimen in his collection: a gynandromorphic Buff-tip (Phalera bucephala), with left side female and right side male. He got it in a trade with Lasse Vastamäki from Pori, who received a Death’s-head Hawkmoth in return. To this day, Lauro would still decide to trade it for a Death’s-head Hawkmoth — but he would think carefully about the exchange, especially now that the number of Death’s-head Hawkmoths in Finland has dropped significantly.

The gynandromorphic Buff-tip mentioned in the text is displayed in the Owlet moths I display case.

The diverse nature of Reposaari and the vicarage’s location near the harbor gave Viljo Lauro great opportunities to make important observations. His collection includes species such as:

Yarrow pug (Eupithecia millefoliata), one of the first sightings in Finland

Lunar Yellow Underwing (Noctua orbona), typically found in Åland and the Turku archipelago

Wormwood (Cucullia absinthii), a rare species on the southern coast

Several specimens of the Death’s head Hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos), a long-distance migrant

The butterflies mentioned in the text can be found in the following display cases:

Yarrow pug, Geometer moths display case

Lunar Yellow Underwing, Owlet moths II display case

Wormwood, Owlet moths I display case

Death’s head Hawkmoth, Owlet moths III, Spinners, Hawk Moths display case

Viljo Lauro especially valued his trips to Kilpisjärvi in the far north of Finnish Lapland. During the Continuation War and the Lapland War, between 1941 and 1945, the Germans built roads to this remote region. From these trips, he collected colorful local species like the Northern Clouded Yellow (Colias hecla), Syngrapha hochenwarthi, and a very rare species that looks like a wasp, Synanthedon polaris, which at the time was only the seventh known sighting in the world.

The butterflies mentioned in the text can be found in the following display cases:

Northern Clouded Yellow, Butterflies display case

Syngrapha hochenwarthi, Owlet moths I display case

Synanthedon polaris, Butterflies display case

Traditionally, identifying species—like butterflies—has been based on the appearance of adult individuals. A skilled expert might recognize thousands of species. However, there are millions of insect species in the world, including hundreds of thousands of butterfly species. Identifying all these species is a huge challenge, especially in tropical areas where many butterfly species are still poorly known. Tens of thousands of butterfly species don’t even have names yet. Describing a new species is difficult because there are so many to compare, and different species can look very similar.

Text: Marko Mutanen, PhD, Professor, Molecular Systematics and Bioliteracy, University of Oulu

DNA, or genetic material, helps with species identification. DNA ultimately determines all inherited traits, and therefore contains regions and markers that distinguish both individuals and species. A DNA barcode is a standardized region of DNA that is useful for identifying species.

A DNA barcode is a fixed part of the genetic material that works well for recognizing different species. In animals, this barcode is found in mitochondrial DNA and is part of the cytochrome oxidase gene. This gene is excellent for use as a barcode, firstly because it varies greatly between species, but more importantly because it is found in every species, individual, and cell—since cytochrome oxidase is an essential part of cellular respiration.

This means that with just one marker, the DNA barcode, we can identify any species, regardless of the individual’s age, sex, or condition. This is a huge advantage over using appearance. For example, male and female butterflies can look very different, and the egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages all look completely different. Yet we need to be able to identify all life stages. DNA barcoding makes this easy.

Text: Marko Mutanen, PhD, Professor, Molecular Systematics and Bioliteracy, University of Oulu

A DNA barcode is a fixed part of the genetic material that works well for recognizing different species. With DNA barcoding, identification can be automated—just like how products are scanned at a store checkout using barcodes. But for this to work, the DNA barcodes of different species must first be read and stored in a reference library. In Finland, this reference library has been developed through a national project called FinBOL (www.finbol.org). About 2,700 butterfly species are known in Finland, and today, all of them have been barcoded. So, using DNA barcoding, we can identify all butterfly species found in Finland with relatively simple techniques—and with very high accuracy.

Text: Marko Mutanen, PhD, Professor of Molecular Systematics and Biodiversity Literacy, University of Oulu