Language: Bilingual in English and French
Jacques Plante (1920-2003) achieved outstanding success both as a songwriter and a noctuid expert. Through his collecting efforts and acquisitions, he built the largest private collection of Noctuidae of the Palearctic and Oriental regions of the late 20th century. Now housed in the 'Muséum Histoire Naturelle, in Geneva, Switzerland, Jacques Plante's Lepidoptera collections include 62,688 specimens of Noctuidae, for which the Noctuinae and Hadeninae species are presented here in the first volume of the two planned to showcase this collection. A biography of Jacques Plante written by François Aulombard and Philippe Lopes-Curval is presented in both French and English. This is followed by a list of Plante's scientific publications and a list of the taxa that he described. A complete checklist of the species of Noctuinae and Hadeninae of the collection follows, along with a chapter dedicated to the descriptions of 4 new genera, 21 new species and 21 new subspecies of Noctuinae and Hadeninae discovered in the collection. In addition, 147 colour plates illustrate more than 3000 specimens representing all of the species of Noctuinae and Hadeninae found in the collection, and 54 plates in black and white illustrate the genitalia of dissected specimens. This book will be an essential addition to the library of all professional and advocated lepidopterists interested in the astounding diversity of Noctuidae moths of the Old World.