Diptera for sure, seems like some sort of midge.

Inaturalist computer vision suggested Axarus festivus but I don't think this group would be reliably IDed.

Anybody know what this is?

Hello Kan,

Spectacular discoveries & beautiful photographs as we have, by now, come to expect! Always love to see new spp. of unfamiliar, colorful beetles. Keep up the great work!

John K.

Spectacular photography!

There are good seasons and bad seasons for beetles. The December 2024 to January 2025 seems to be a pretty awesome season so far. I have seen many species for the first time and made friends with kind people who allowed me to freely explore their private forests for insects.

wollastoni wrote: ↑Sun Jan 19, 2025 4:49 pm And I send you by Private Message the email of Evelyn Maravi from Amazonian Insects. It may help you get an answer from them.

Thank you again, hopefully I can get through

A wonderful exciting capture indeed Paul !

Not too many of us ever make such a sensational capture in our lifetimes.

mothman55 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 20, 2025 3:57 pm That's a beauty Paul, a once in a lifetime catch. Can you post a pic of the ventral side?
You likely got a lot of new interesting stuff in Alberta.

Thank you.
Ventral side is rather normal, nothing unusual as both sexes are identical on the ventral side. I will post it when I get to label it as I’d like to avoid unnecessary handling.
I spread it sometime back in July last year, placed it in drawer and didn’t pay much attention to it.
Yesterday I started to identify and label my 2023/24 specimens and as usually I placed it up side down to determined the species. After placing back I just noticed that there was something odd.
I travel to Alberta almost every year so most of common stuff I already collected but last year I passed Rocky Mountains to British Columbia where the butterfly fauna is much different. I’m planning to go there also this year for few days.

That's a beauty Paul, a once in a lifetime catch. Can you post a pic of the ventral side?
You likely got a lot of new interesting stuff in Alberta.

Wow ! Wonderful specimen !
A great catch, congrats !

I collected this specimen in Alberta, Canada, Crowsnest Pass on beautiful mountain meadow on Jun12, 2024.
The forewings are male and one side hindwing is female and second hindwing is partially both. I suppose it looks like mosaic gynandromorph, isn’t it.
Habitat

And I send you by Private Message the email of Evelyn Maravi from Amazonian Insects. It may help you get an answer from them.

wollastoni wrote: ↑Fri Jan 17, 2025 8:58 am For Colombia, contact Fredy Montero (on facebook).

Thank you very much!

I came across this 2022 discussion only recently, so please forgive my tardiness.

I have copies of all the d'Abrera publications that Adam previously listed, with one addition that is not on the list.

0-86788-020-1 1984. A FIELD COMPANION TO THE BUTTERFLIES OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

There are a few used copies out there for sale, mostly in Australia and the UK.

John

Annarobertson1947 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 16, 2025 11:57 pm
A ssp as far as I'm aware in relation to other butterflies is a distinct geographical separation of races.
If the mixture of ssp occurs at edges of their ranges then they are not seperated geographically.
Hence how can they be sspas against a cline?

The taxonomic designation of sp and ssp are man's attempt to understand the living world and put things conveniently into boxes. These boxes do not exist in nature, less so than we previously understood.

One or more ssp may be determined based on a variety of factors, well beyond geography. This includes morphology, flight period, food plants, phermones, and more. With modern genetics we can get a better understanding of the relationships.

While geographic separation may be an indicator of differentiation at the ssp level, it surely is not mandatory. Many ssp overlap geographically, and in those regions they may hybridize. This is very common, in fact.

For Colombia, contact Fredy Montero (on facebook).

Hey team, I'm really keen to get to Peru and possibly Colombia this year. I've tried getting in touch about a trip with Amazon Insects in Peru with no response so far.

Does anyone have a recommendation of some companies who organise trips in either country? I'm also keen to meet with some dealers/farms/collectors and establish relationships with them

Interesting topic and a difficult one.

First of all, let's remind that the "Supspecies" concept (as the concept of race) is always tricky. Indeed, subspecies should be geographically isolated and morphologically different. A cline refers to a gradual change in a specific trait (often colors or patterns in butterfly species) across a geographical gradient within a species.

If the hybridization is very low (because the species doesn't move a lot), you can have 2 distinct populations one near another one. It often happens in Amazon between North and South Amazon. Amazon is very large (from 2 to 16 km !) and very few specimens cross it. So you have 2 subspecies but may find some "hybrids".

But how is a ssp described ? You know one species pattern in a place. You find a new population in a distant place which is really different. You describe a new ssp. Years later, other populations are found between the 2 localities and you can see a clear cline pattern... the 2 ssp are in reality a cline. This has to be proven and the 2 ssp have to by synonymised. It requires time, money (especially for Agrias) and will.

A classic example in Agrias :
- Agrias pericles pericles described in 1860 from Itaituba (Rio Tapajos) by the great HW Bates. This ssp has a lot of green on its typical form. Agrias are rare and it was described from few specimens.
- Agrias pericles mauensis described in 1921 by Fassl from Maues has no green on its typical form and was thus described as a new ssp. Agrias are rare and it was described from few specimens.

100 years later, we have caught much more specimens and we now know that these "green form" of pericles pericles can be found in ssp. mauensis too (and the contrary). The more you go towards Itaituba, the higher the % of green form you will find. It is a cline. If you compare 10 specimens of Itaituba and 10 specimens from Maues, you see 2 ssp. If you compare 1000 specimens and try to find specimens from localities between Maues and Itaituba, you discover a cline.

The taxonomy of Agrias is even more difficult than other genera because :
- there are a lot of forms within a ssp (genetic forms). This led to new ssp described by error.
- a lot of people want "their name" on an Agrias and are naming a lot of forms / ssp. Sometimes rightfully, sometimes for nothing.
- hybridization does happen. Sometimes hard to understand the level of it. Some ssp seems "pure", some are doubtful as explained above with pericles mauensis.
- anti-science Brazilian laws doesn't help. We should collect much more specimens to better understand what is happening.
- some populations (forms or ssp) have disappeared due to deforestation or other factors.

All these forms, hybridizations, ssp are what makes Agrias interesting to study ! It is very complex, especially in Amazon. You need a good knowledge about all Rios of Amazonia to better understand what is happening.

Some "scientists" will elude the topic saying "forms are not recognized by the Code", don't bother with that.
Some "scientists" will try to understand the genetics and population dynamics behind all these forms and that is a very interesting topic. David Lohman (City College of New York) has made a tremendous work on the Delias genus (another difficult genus). We need someone to do the same on the Agrias (sub)genus.

I'm going to ask why if ssp of Claudina and others are recognised as meeting at periphery of distribution ranges and hybrise, that to me is a contradiction of ssp versus cline designation.
A ssp as far as I'm aware in relation to other butterflies is a distinct geographical separation of races.
If the mixture of ssp occurs at edges of their ranges then they are not seperated geographically.
Hence how can they be sspas against a cline?

Thanks, I look forward to sharing some photos and asking questions here
Also chime in where and when I can.