Belenois

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daveuk
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Belenois

Post by daveuk »

Two female Belenois thysa
Top specimen is from South Africa.
Bottom two are recto & verso female from Uganda(subspecies meldolae?)
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Re: Belenois

Post by daveuk »

A series of Belenois sudanensis from Uganda. Subspecies katalensis. Displaying considerable variation.
All male apart from a female bottom row on the right.
Old photo.
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Re: Belenois

Post by Cabintom »

Belenois thysa meldolae Butler, 1872
Differs from the nominate by having, dorsally, reduced or absent submarginal spots.

(male)
19/iii/2016 Along the Tumani River, near Mbogi, Ituri (1°41'55"N, 30°07'35"E) 1250m
ImageImage

This is my only example of the species, which according to literature was caught at the very edge of it's known range.
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Re: Belenois

Post by Cabintom »

daveuk wrote: Sat Aug 27, 2022 10:49 pm A series of Belenois sudanensis from Uganda. Subspecies katalensis. Displaying considerable variation.
All male apart from a female bottom row on the right.
Old photo.
ssp. katalensis is characterised by the ventral HW which is always yellow and has a basal marking which is tinted red (Berger in Les Papillons du Zaire describes it as "vermilion"). It is also somewhat smaller than other ssp. In DRC it is found solely in Nord Kivu, along the Rwenzori Mountains (I have 1 transitional example from Beni, Nord Kivu).

Here are some examples of ssp. pseudodentigera

(males)
24/V/2014 Along the Tumani River, near Mbogi, Ituri (1°41'N, 30°07'E) 1250m
ImageImage

ImageImage

(female)
ImageImage
Last edited by Cabintom on Fri Sep 02, 2022 11:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Belenois

Post by daveuk »

Lovely specimens as always. Great to see that subspecies.
Some more of mine
A male verso & recto of B theora ratheo from Central African Republic & a male verso of B antsianaka from Madagascar
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Re: Belenois

Post by Cabintom »

daveuk wrote: Sun Aug 28, 2022 9:49 am A male verso & recto of B theora ratheo from Central African Republic & a male verso of B antsianaka from Madagascar
Your B. theora ratheo is a female. As far as I'm aware, males are always white.

Here are a few more examples of the ssp.

(females)
ImageImage

ImageImage


(males)
ImageImage

ImageImage


Here's a conundrum:
Image Image
It should be ssp. ratheo given the locality of capture, but ventrally it lacks the yellow HW and dorsally the FW apex is very lightly marked. ssp. laeta would seem to be a better fit.


Here's a male of theora laeta:
ImageImage
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Re: Belenois

Post by daveuk »

Thanks yet again for your much appreciated information. Those are yet more stunning specimens you have there.
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Re: Belenois

Post by daveuk »

Belenois calypso
Male & two females shown recto & verso.
Male described as an " abberation" of B calypso
All Republic Central Africa
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Re: Belenois

Post by Cabintom »

Your "aberration of B. calypso" is B. subeida, either the nominate or ssp. frobeniusi (although the latter is known from N. Cameroon, and not CAR).
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Re: Belenois

Post by daveuk »

Cabintom wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 12:54 pm Your "aberration of B. calypso" is B. subeida, either the nominate or ssp. frobeniusi (although the latter is known from N. Cameroon, and not CAR).
Thanks once again for the identification on that one. How good it is to have someone with a wealth of knowledge about African butterflies on this forum. I am very grateful.

The data for that specimen is Pissa 2017. Have checked that Pissa is a village in the Lobaye region south west of the capital Bangui & near the border with DRC.

Have just taken a photo of another pair of B calypso. From Central African Republic again. In this pair the female form bears a close resemblance to the male.
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Re: Belenois

Post by Cabintom »

Here's a pair of B. calypso dentigera Butler, 1888 from my collection

(Male)
ImageImage

(Female)
1/vii/2014 Nebobongo, Haut-Uele (2°27'N, 27°37'E) 790m
ImageImage

They are avid nectarers.

Differentiated from B. sudanensis by:
- in males there is more white in dorsal FW apex
- in males the FW postcellular spot is often connected to the costa (never in sudanensis)
- in females the dorsal HW submarginal spots are joined into the black margin
- in both sexes the ventral HW marginal spots are slightly stretched along the veins (ovoid in sudanensis)
Last edited by Cabintom on Fri Sep 02, 2022 11:05 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Belenois

Post by mcheki »

The island of Socotra, situated off the coast of Yemen, contains many endemic species and subspecies. Most of these hard to obtain and relatively unknown. I was fortunate to have this pair of Belenois anomala offered to me by the person who collected them.
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Re: Belenois

Post by africaone »

Cabintom wrote: Sun Aug 28, 2022 7:06 am Belenois thysa meldolae Butler, 1872
Differs from the nominate by having, dorsally, reduced or absent submarginal spots.

(male)
19/iii/2016 Along the Tumani River, near Mbogi, Ituri (1°41'55"N, 30°07'35"E) 1250m
ImageImage

This is my only example of the species, which according to literature was caught at the very edge of it's known range.
is the real color so yellow ?
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Re: Belenois

Post by Cabintom »

africaone wrote: Thu Sep 01, 2022 7:08 pm
is the real color so yellow ?
:) Define "real"? Lighting is a challenge.

Under bright even white light, it looks like this. Otherwise, looking at it in the box, under the room's single light-bulb, I'd say the HWs are a shade more orange and the base a shade more red (in other words a bit deeper in colour). I have not checked how I perceive the colours in mid-day sunlight.
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Re: Belenois

Post by Cabintom »

Just a head's up to everyone: I've gone back and updated my posts for B. sudanensis pseudentigera & B. calypso dentigera with different males representing the 2 species. The ones I had posted before were, although nicer specimens, somewhat atypical representations.
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Re: Belenois

Post by Cabintom »

Belenois subeida subeida (Felder & Felder, [1865])

(male)
22/IV/2016 Along the Tumani River, near Mbogi, Ituri (1°41'55"N, 30°07'35"E) 1250m
ImageImage

Thus far my only example.
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Re: Belenois

Post by Cabintom »

Belenois solilucis solilucis Butler, 1874

(males)
23/i/2016 Along the Tumani River, near Mbogi, Ituri (1°41'55"N, 30°07'35"E) 1250m
ImageImage

ImageImage

Belenois solilucis loveni (Aurivillius, 1921)

(male)
21/VIII/2014 Lubowa, Central Region, Uganda (0°13'N, 32°33'E) 1300m
ImageImage

From Aurivilius' description of loveni, it differs from the nominate in it's smaller HW marginal spots & in the lack of orange at the base of the verso HW.
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Re: Belenois

Post by Cabintom »

Belenois theuszi (Dewitz, 1889)

(male)
24/V/2014 Along the Tumani River, near Mbogi, Ituri (1°41'N, 30°07'E) 1250m
ImageImage

Another species for which I have just the one specimen.
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Re: Belenois

Post by daveuk »

Three that I have not positively identified.
All Uganda
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Re: Belenois

Post by daveuk »

Belenois subeida sylvander
Male. Uganda
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