Euphaedra

[Cabintom]

This one has me stumped. Thoughts?
-Strong FW apical green sheen
-FW sub-apical band relatively wide
-FW cell about half black
-HW black border relatively the same width the whole way round the wing
-Veins aren't very black as in some species
-Ventral surface relatively unmarked (though that may not be significant)

[Cabintom]

The closest I could think of is rattrayi, but this would be well out of range, and I believe rattrayi is a darker species as well.

[Cabintom]

Here's a second one. I believe this is likely E. ochracea.

[Chuck]

I know nothing of Euphaera Tom, but love the posts!

[adamcotton]

I agree with Chuck completely.

I wouldn't know how to distinguish any of these. Hopefully someone knowledgeable will reply, as I would be interested to know what people think.

Adam.

[Cabintom]

No one with thoughts, eh?

[Chuck]

Tom, YOU are the expert, LOL. You keep digging up these odd and obscure Euphaedra from new locations, and opening cans of worms.

Do you have access to a freezer? Reason I ask, if so you could pull a couple legs of each specimen and freeze them for later genetic analysis.

[mcheki]

Definitely a difficult group.
J Hecq says that E rattrayi is very common in Kivu and Uganda (Lambillionea . Vol 91. No 3- September 1991), and also mentions a subspecies coeruleomaculata.
This first picture shows some specimens from Western Kenya (Kakamega) that I have identified as E rattrayi coerulomaculata. I have no Kivu specimens that I have determined as E rattrayi.

DSC00781 3.JPG (329.46 KiB) Viewed 6095 times

[mcheki]

Secondly a photo taken of part of my drawer showing the same rattrayi males as in the above picture in the right column, with a similar species E alacris males in the left column. These latter alacris specimens are from Kivu.
I will leave this subject here for the moment and see if I can add more regarding E ochracea later.

DSC00781 2.JPG (650.85 KiB) Viewed 6095 times

[Cabintom]

Tom, YOU are the expert, LOL. You keep digging up these odd and obscure Euphaedra from new locations, and opening cans of worms.

Do you have access to a freezer? Reason I ask, if so you could pull a couple legs of each specimen and freeze them for later genetic analysis.

Hey now! If I'm what amounts to being an "expert" on Euphaedra, well, that's disappointing, because I don't feel like I know much. Someone out there ought to invest the time in sorting out the genus.
Your suggestion about freezing legs is an interesting one. I have a chest freezer. I can't guarantee it can stay on 24/7 though. What impact does irregular freeze/thaw events have on the viability of the sample for DNA?

[Cabintom]

Definitely a difficult group.
J Hecq says that E rattrayi is very common in Kivu and Uganda (Lambillionea . Vol 91. No 3- September 1991), and also mentions a subspecies coeruleomaculata.

I think your photos help confirm that my first specimen is not E. rattrayi. Among other differences, my specimen is a sort of brick red, while rattrayi is deeper in colouration. My specimen has a green sheen over the black FW apex, in rattrayi this seems to be more blue.

[bobw]

The best way of preserving legs for molecular analysis is in alcohol, especially if you can't rely on the freezer.