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Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 12:12 pm
by daveuk
Euphaedra hewitsoni
Democratic Republic of Congo/ Central African Republic
Pairs shown recto & verso
Some of these specimens were sold as E xypete which has narrower forewing bands in both sexes. Pretty sure these are all E hewitsoni.

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 12:31 pm
by daveuk
Euphaedra crossei akani. Ghana. Recto & verso
Euphaedra crockeri. Verso. Ghana

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 6:52 pm
by 58chevy
Wow, lots of nice specimens on this thread!

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 9:27 pm
by daveuk
Two specimens from an old collection. Un-named. Collected in Nigeria in 1964
Think they are a pair of Euphaedra crossei. Male verso. Female recto.
Pair of Euphaedra piriformis. Recto & verso. Cameroun

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 9:48 pm
by daveuk
A female from an old collection with no data.
Recto & verso. My first thoughts were a female E. phosphor
But the verso strongly resembles E. ceres

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 9:57 pm
by Yorky
Watkins and Doncaster?

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 10:48 pm
by daveuk
Euphaedra sarcoptera. Democratic Republic of Congo
Recto & verso
Euphaedra symphona. Democratic Republic of Congo
Recto & verso

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 11:30 pm
by livingplanet3
daveuk wrote: Mon Sep 05, 2022 4:53 pm Euphaedra neophron. Kenya,Tanzania & Malawi
E. neophron is definitely one of my favorite Euphaedra species.

A great photo of a living example -

Image

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 12:37 am
by daveuk
Recto & verso pictures of what I believe to be a female Euphaedra miranda. My only specimen & part of a job lot of butterflies I received from Central African Republic from a British dealer friend in the early 1990's. There does not seem to be much information on this species available. In his revised book on Butterflies of the Afrotropical Region Part 2 (nymphalidae & Libytheidae) there is no picture of this species & D'abrera stated that he had not seen it. This suggests that BMNH do not have a specimen as the collections there formed the source of photographs for most of D'abrera's work.
I can only assume then that this is a little known, rare or very rare butterfly.

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 1:18 pm
by Jshuey
adamcotton wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 8:28 am It is worth noting that mimicry rings usually comprise examples of both Batesian and Müllerian mimicry.

For those who are uncertain, a Batesian mimic is a non-distasteful species pretending to be inedible, whereas a Müllerian mimic is a distasteful species which looks like another distasteful species to mutual advantage.

Adam.
It's also worth noting that Dan Janzen has informally suggested a different model of mimicry, where species that are difficult for vertebrate predators to catch converge on wing similar patterns. I don't know how you test this hypothesis - but intuitively is seems to be obviously at work in the neotropics, where many wing-pattern pairs in different general and families co-exist. In skippers think "blue bombers" in different subfamilies - Jemedia and Phocides. This basic pattern shows up in at least 12 genera across the two subfamilies. Almost all are amazing fast flying species that spend most of their time in the forest canopy. There are at least 20 of the convergence patterns in the skippers alone. There is a classic one that jumps between nymphalid and metalmarks that perch on sunny tree/shrub tops. Euphaedrea/Charaxes may fall into that category as well.

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 2:52 pm
by Cabintom
Jshuey wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 1:18 pm Euphaedrea/Charaxes may fall into that category as well.
I don't know where I remember reading it, but that very thing has been suggested.

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 5:54 pm
by Trehopr1
Here is a marvelous species named Euphaedra eleus.
I provide an exquisite image of this living marvel taken
in Ghana; and of coarse from the worldwide web.

If Euphaedra were available to me then this one would
be something I'd particularly desire. However, like so
many of the African genera posted lately I simply have
never had much luck in acquiring any of them. Seems
like much of what is collected in Africa goes right to
Europe.

Image

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 6:30 pm
by daveuk
Trehopr1 wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 5:54 pm Here is a marvelous species named Euphaedra eleus.
I provide an exquisite image of this living marvel taken
in Ghana; and of coarse from the worldwide web.

If Euphaedra were available to me then this one would
be something I'd particularly desire. However, like so
many of the African genera posted lately I simply have
never had much luck in acquiring any of them. Seems
like much of what is collected in Africa goes right to
Europe.

Image
I agree trehopr this is a spectacular species.
It is strange what you say about African butterflies not being generally available in the U.S.A.
I did get a few species of Euphaedra & other African butterflies from the late Chuck Ianni in Ohio.
I suppose historically many African countries were colonial outposts for quite a few European nations. My own included. This could form part of the answer as to why the bulk of African specimens have ended up in European collections

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 7:00 pm
by Trehopr1
Indeed Dave, several European countries have (at one time or another) left a footprint on African soil. So, naturally some of the very collectors who live there or visit come from those countries still. There is also the fact that the continent has such close proximity to Europe so, airfares cost far less than anywhere else.

Also, it could be said that Europe still has an very active entomological community of dealers, collectors, and enthusiasts in general. That is something sadly lacking here in the US where many old age hobbies have fallen by the wayside by the (younger set) who are more interested in being entertained by their cell phones or sports activities !

I would also add that the huge market in Japan for insects (living or dead) is another big factor in much fine material (be it seldom seen, rare, or unique) going there because of the available wealth.

If we do see any of it make it here it's just the leavings...
Our dealer base here has (largely) dried up with dealers retiring or passing away and as I mentioned overall diminished interest in the hobby.

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 7:28 pm
by livingplanet3
Trehopr1 wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 5:54 pm Here is a marvelous species named Euphaedra eleus.
I provide an exquisite image of this living marvel taken
in Ghana; and of coarse from the worldwide web....
Very nice! Another beautiful one is Euphaedra preussi, found across a wide area of equatorial Africa -

Image

I believe that, as is the case with some species in other genera such as Apatura, Sasakia and Doxocopa, the purple sheen is only visible when viewed from certain angles.

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2022 3:51 am
by Cabintom
livingplanet3 wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 7:28 pm
Very nice! Another beautiful one is Euphaedra preussi, found across a wide area of equatorial Africa -

Image

I believe that, as is the case with some species in other genera such as Apatura, Sasakia and Doxocopa, the purple sheen is only visible when viewed from certain angles.
That's not preussi, which has a differently shaped sub-apical band & does not have a purple sheen.
Looks much more like E. uganda too me, but of course this genus is a difficult one to ID.

Here's preussi:

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

(female)
25/VII/2016 Nebobongo, Haut-Uele (2°28'18"N, 27°38'11"E) 760m
ImageImage

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2022 6:52 am
by daveuk
Trehopr1 wrote: Wed Sep 07, 2022 7:00 pm Indeed Dave, several European countries have (at one time or another) left a footprint on African soil. So, naturally some of the very collectors who live there or visit come from those countries still. There is also the fact that the continent has such close proximity to Europe so, airfares cost far less than anywhere else.

Also, it could be said that Europe still has an very active entomological community of dealers, collectors, and enthusiasts in general. That is something sadly lacking here in the US where many old age hobbies have fallen by the wayside by the (younger set) who are more interested in being entertained by their cell phones or sports activities !

I would also add that the huge market in Japan for insects (living or dead) is another big factor in much fine material (be it seldom seen, rare, or unique) going there because of the available wealth.

If we do see any of it make it here it's just the leavings...
Our dealer base here has (largely) dried up with dealers retiring or passing away and as I mentioned overall diminished interest in the hobby.
Sad trehopr that there there seems to be not much uptake in our hobby with many young people. That also seems to be the case here in the U.K. as well as in the U.S.A. It does make me wonder what will happen in time to all the private collections when people just lose interest in them.
We are lucky in the U.K. with entomological fairs that still take place here. Have been lucky enough to pick up quite a bit of African material relatively inexpensively at those over time.
But people get older & eventually leave us as you say so unless more young people do take an interest those fairs & the hobby itself will not go on forever. Feel lucky to have known some wonderful dealers here & around the world either personally or on line over time. They have provided me with specimens beyond my wildest dreams.😊

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:50 am
by africaone
Cabintom wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 3:51 am
That's not preussi, which has a differently shaped sub-apical band & does not have a purple sheen.
Looks much more like E. uganda too me, but of course this genus is a difficult one to ID.

Thomas, the picture is saturated with a red component marked. The purple effect may be not not so strong in fact ?
and preussi is a big group :D

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2022 1:39 pm
by Cabintom
africaone wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:50 am
Thomas, the picture is saturated with a red component marked. The purple effect may be not not so strong in fact ?
and preussi is a big group :D
You are probably right that it is saturated. E. uganda has a FW band with the slight break and shape seen here (and a purple sheen), but yes, the preussi group is a large and complicated one.

Re: Euphaedra

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2022 2:42 pm
by livingplanet3
africaone wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:50 am
Cabintom wrote: Thu Sep 08, 2022 3:51 am
That's not preussi, which has a differently shaped sub-apical band & does not have a purple sheen.
Looks much more like E. uganda too me, but of course this genus is a difficult one to ID.

Thomas, the picture is saturated with a red component marked. The purple effect may be not not so strong in fact ?
and preussi is a big group :D
I'd wondered if perhaps that photo had been "enhanced" in some way, or if it was just the lighting or angle, as none of the other images I've seen of preussi have colors quite like this.