Anaea tyrianthina
Posted: Tue Jun 25, 2024 11:01 pm
Here we have one of the more striking Anaea species.
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.
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.