Strange aberration

[58chevy]

I recently captured a specimen of Abaeis nicippe (Sleepy Orange) near Presidio, TX, close to the Mexican border. It's a common species, so I didn't examine it closely. But when I started spreading it, I noticed it had narrow white stripes running vertically against the orange background of both the forewings and hindwings. I've never heard of such a thing. I tried to think of something it might have rubbed up against to create the pattern but the only thing it made contact with was a glassine envelope. Has anyone else observed this unusual aberration? I'll post a picture after it comes off the spreading board.

[vabrou]

Meek...Meek...
Surprisingly, aberrations are not all that rare. The problem I always have is that finding them or spotting them seems difficult. The few I have found were often sitting upon the top of hundreds of thousands of other insects staring at me--- consequently easily discovered. For example this common butterfly has five annual broods in the state of Louisiana, adults occurring from the end of March to the beginning of November each year. I captured an aberrant male of this common eastern US butterfly in one of my live-capture fermenting fruit bait traps here at my home. I sometimes captured a dozen or more Limenitis arthemis astyanax (Fabricus, 1775) daily in fruit-bait traps and high-wattage light traps, amounting to several thousands of adults captured over the past 65 years by me personally. And for five or more decades I papered duplicates for sale or exchange of this abundant butterfly. Returning to my desk with the daily trap captures one day, a particular specimen had a damaged wing so put it aside to later discover I had captured a very unique adult of L. a. astyanax at the Abita Entomological Study Site in a live-capture fermenting fruit bait trap, an actual true 'purple' male of the (common name) 'red-spotted purple', which is never purple. see attached image. Upper male (a) is the usual color of the species throughout eastern North America. Lower male (c) is the real unique actual male purple-colored specimen I captured.

[vabrou]

Where exactly does an aberration stop, and do morphotype/phenotype variations begin?? And are there morphotypes/phenotypes of aberrations? And are there aberrations of morphotypes/phenotypes?
Here are some thoughts I thunk, while I was thinking.

Here in a recent (2024) publication I illustrated some adults of a common arctiid species that flies here at my home ~every calendar-day of the year. On page 1a-r males are illustrated.

Question is which example is normal? My answer: NONE.
Better yet which are normal among the tens of thousands I have personally captured in Louisiana? My answer: STILL NONE.
Question is which one is an example of a phenotype? My answer: NONE identified as to which broods it belongs too in this publication.
Better yet which are phenotypes among the tens of thousands I have personally captured in Louisiana? My answer: Phenologically speaking, Some, as there are 4-5 annual broods in Louisiana. And NONE identified as to which broods they belong too.
Question is which one is an example of a morphotype? My answer: All of them.
Better yet which are morphotypes among the tens of thousands I have personally captured in Louisiana? My answer: All of them.
Question is which one is an example of an aberration? My answer: Who knows? There is no world-wide accepted definition of what an aberration of a moth is.

Think about it!!, when you have time to waste.

attached are pages 1,2 and 3.

[vabrou]

Meek...Meek...

We anxiously await to see your aberration. Here usual appearance of male (upper) and female (lower) Abaeis nicippe (Sleepy Orange).

[Chuck]

Thanks, Vernon. I used to think I had a nice series of Apantesis phalerata until I saw yours.

[58chevy]

Very enlightening commentary on aberrations/morphotypes/phenotypes, etc. Good food for thought.

[58chevy]

OK, here is the "stripes" aberration (along with a normal specimen for comparison). I did not alter the specimen in any way.

stripes lo-res.jpg (423.16 KiB) Viewed 4555 times

[Trehopr1]

A strange aberration indeed 58Chevy !

I cannot think of how that might happen however, I have an occasion collected Colias which sometimes have a singular "line" like that perhaps created by a flight mishap of some sort such as flying through thick brush or somehow rubbing against a rope or wire fencing.

But, I have never encountered it in multiple lines or stripes such as your specimen exhibits.

[Jshuey]

Several odd things. First - it's only hitting the inner yellow of the wings - not the brown margins. Second, if you were to put this butterfly into a resting position - wings folded back and forewings tucked into the hindwings, the streaks line up. And last- the lines are parallel.

I have seen similar patterns that are clearly the result of bird attacks that leave clear markings as a result of their "bite pressure". But the streaks are more narrow, and generally come to a point at the end of their beaks. And usually accompanied by wing damage.

This looks like some sort of pressure damage - but from what?

John