ID review request - Sep 8, 2024

[Psyche]

Colour & size cannot be used as an ID guide as they are very variable.

The 4th spot from base in FW space 1b if single is a very reliable guide to Lexias canescens in both sexes.
https://yutaka.it-n.jp/lim2/722100010.html
https://www.butterflycircle.com/chec...Neo-Chee-B.png

The other factor is the confusion between L. dirtea & pardalis.

L. pardalis is IDed by the orange tip of the antennal club.(tip- apical tapering part.)
A common error in the past was to look for a speck of orange at the very end of the club to Id it as L. pardalis.
The orange tip is typically clearly visible from the top view.
https://www.butterflycircle.com/chec...9%20female.jpg
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...1491/large.jpg
https://www.butterflycircle.com/chec...309%20Male.jpg


L. dirtea is Ided by the antennal club being all black in the top view.
The underside of the club is orange.
If the orange is small the club may appear all black; if large a side view may look confusingly similar to L pardalis.
In some examples orange may leak along the edge of the black in a top view.
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...3122/large.jpg
https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.ama...778/large.jpeg
https://www.butterflycircle.com/chec...erick%20Ho.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q98N0Hwc5...0/DSC_0380.JPG

Intermediates due to crossing may occur.
Some have the orange above the club darkish.
This male with the orange tip rather darkish woulde be considered a L. pardalis variant.
https://static.inaturalist.org/photo.../original.jpeg

Back to your query.
#1.https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/237425894
Female L. pardalis.


#2. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/154520058
FW 4th spot double.
There is no sign of an orange tip.
Female L. dirtea.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/239787229
Female L. dirtea.
The yellow colour is immaterial.


https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/131677543
Female L. dirtea.



#3.https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/196474680
Female Ixias pyrene verna.
Ssp verna is very variable in the female.
The male base is pale cream.
https://yutaka.it-n.jp/pie/20890020.html

#4. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/196474657
Female Ixias pyrene birdi.
Ground colour yellow.
Male with orange patch.
Female normally with yellow patch but a form with an orange patch (as in the male( was also discovered.
The two subspecies overlap in Kedawi.

The taxon alticola was raised to full species by Eliot based on a study in which he concluded there were no intermediate forms with birdi& the fact it was restricted to over 3000feet.
Ground colour white in both sexes.


TL Seow:Cheers.