InsectNet forum

The photo probably shows a male of Castnius asteropoides from Peru (endemic).
I am looking for a photo or a good description of the female. The species probably has a noticeable sexual dimorphism.
I would be grateful for any information.

Hello Borearctia,

BobW who is one of our global moderators has a specialized interest in this group so, I'm sure once he sees this post he will be able to answer your questions .

He may possibly be able to even provide a photograph of the female since he has a mighty nice collection of Casniidae personally.

Indeed, I have a large collection of Castniidae, including C. asteropoides, in fact, I have most of the type series of it. I don't have time to take new photos right now, but I'm including a couple of photos of part of my series taken a few years ago. This species is interesting as it's one of the few species of Castniidae which shows marked sexual dimorphism, and the female is a mimic of Eumaeus species. You can also see from the underside photos that there are two forms of the female. In some localities, one occurs, in others, the other, but in at least one locality, both are found.

I've written several papers revising various Castniid genera, and this one is on the radar for a future project. It almost certainly doesn't belong in the genus Castnius.

Impressive work Bob! Do you have a link to one of your more recent papers?

They're not open access Chuck, but I'll email you one.

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply in such detail. It helps me a lot.
I still have 2 unprepared females myself.