Dodgey Blue Dusting on butterfly

[butterfly_effect]

Check out this funny blue dusting on the tips of the baron... maybe colour variation... or maybe not?

It was very dark coloured...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/4278234717_05e3a3eb77.jpg

[Commander]

You may have stumbled onto the rare White Tipped Baron. The blue leading edge is quite unique to this species. However, set specimens appear to lose this, as you can see in C&P4. The females are, of course, more distinctive.

If you read the description on my old website on this species, and compare the shot of the male that I obtained as a voucher specimen, you can see the similiarities with your shot.

http://butterflycircle.org/nymphalidae/nymphalinae/merta.html

So it looks like congratulations are in order for you... :cheers:

[Banded Yeoman]

Yeah, looks very similar.

[atronox]

Is the blue colour structural or is it a pigment?

[butterfly_effect]

oh my goodness!! White tipped baron!! Yay!! Thanks for the info!

[Painted Jezebel]

Congratulations on this rare find. Incedentally, in Thailand, the White-tipped Baron is the name given to Euthalia merta's sister species Euthalia eriphylae. They have given E. merta the name of The Black-male Baron, a name I really do not like!!!!!

[Banded Yeoman]

Do some specimens lack that blue?