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Painted Jezebel
03-Jan-2012, 12:14 PM
I was not intending to start on this genus yet, but with the incessant rain we have been having up here since the New Year, I have gotten myself bored, not having left the house since New Year's Eve!

Dr. Seow, I have read your caveat in another thread and fully understand. However, I am hoping that one or two of these may show some sufficiently dinstinctive feature for it to be identified with some degree of certainty. Sorry!!

Wet season forms to follow unless it stops raining!

Psyche
03-Jan-2012, 09:05 PM
No problem, Les, & do dispense with the formality.

I'll start from the bottom up.

6 should be an intermediate form of M. mineus.
The white band is broad, more typical of mineus; the upper end is slightly inclined outwards.
There are 2 forewing spots, & the hindwing spots are just slightly out of line, an acceptable variance.

5 should be M. intermedia. The white band is angled in at the upper end typical of intermedia/distanti.
The marginal areas are heavily whitened (actually due to broadened white striae which coalesced.) M. distanti has less white.
3 forewing dots but 2 upper ones close & should represent 2 spots & a tiny satellite.

3 should be M. perseus. The 2 spots in space 2 & 3 are noticeably out of line with the broken upper spot in space 1b.
The hindwing white band is just slightly bent outwards towards the costa.

1, 2, & 4 are the same species.
The hindwing spots are just in alignment; forewng have 2 spots.
The hindwing white band is angled outwards at the upper end
This is sometimes seen in both visala & mineus, perhaps more so in mineus.
Since there are only 2 dots on the forewing, there is a suggestion this is mineus, but I have not quite seen any mineus like these.

TL Seow:cheers:
Example of mineus
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6116/6233290757_b44594288f.jpg

Painted Jezebel
04-Jan-2012, 10:16 AM
Thank you so much. You gave me more than I expected, as these dry season forms are so variable. (I did notice the word 'should'!:) )