Few butterflies the world over present the color (purple)
on their wings to any large extent. Most often it is glimpsed
as a row of spots, a single larger spot, or it may occur in
a band across several cells of a wing. As a color it also
comes across in a "structural" presence in that it is best
seen in a certain angle of light.
The (male) of this Anaea species seems to sport a
combination of both pigmentation and structural colors
(in life). I have admired it for some time but, for quite
a while only a few were ever offered and were at first
quite expensive --- especially landing a female.
Well, the years have past and pricing has tumbled quite
a bit since those earlier times. Perhaps, collectors who
are able to find it have improved methods of its capture
or perhaps it is being bred ?
I was able to get my pair recently for quite the bargain
and from another person's collection. Certainly, an
unusual butterfly for the amount of purple it has. Some
minor "flight-wear" always seems to be present on the
wing veins of the males which hints at being wild collected.
