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Post by cabintom on Oct 11, 2017 12:28:24 GMT
So after 4 years of collecting Congolese butterflies, I still don't know how to separate Junonia gregorii from Junonia stygia. Help? All specimens are from NE DRC.  |
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Post by jshuey on Oct 11, 2017 23:33:28 GMT
Obviously, I can't really help. But on this side of the planet, the configuration of light versus dark on the ventral antennal club is the only way to reliably separate a couple of species of Junonia that seem mostly impossible based on wing pattern.
John
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Post by cabintom on Oct 12, 2017 3:49:27 GMT
Obviously, I can't really help. But on this side of the planet, the configuration of light versus dark on the ventral antennal club is the only way to reliably separate a couple of species of Junonia that seem mostly impossible based on wing pattern. John Interesting. I took a look and these are all the same in this regard. It's entirely possible that these are all the same species. |
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Post by africaone on Oct 12, 2017 6:08:00 GMT
yours are probably gregorii in wich the discal band is divided into two well separate lines (more or less fused in a continue band in stygia)
The difference seems not so obvious (stygia is more western sp and gregorii the eastern one). It seems they overlap in Central Africa but it seems not very clear.
note that color and wigshape variation is the sport of this group of Nymphalidae.
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Post by cabintom on Oct 12, 2017 17:48:50 GMT
yours are probably gregorii in wich the discal band is divided into two well separate lines (more or less fused in a continue band in stygia) Ok. Merci! So the discal band, being fused or not, is the best key for separating the two? There are apparently records of stygia in the area (if they are mis-identifications), so I don't want to be throwing out/releasing any specimens of that species... though it now seems that I have too many examples of gregorii. |
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Post by mcheki on Oct 12, 2017 18:30:05 GMT
According to Berger in "Les Papillons du Zaire" size matters! Stygia being larger than gregorii. He also throws Junonia schmiedeli Fielder into the argument!
In the past when gregorii was considered a subspecies of stygia then gregorii was the eastern subspecies with a possible overlap in north eastern Zaire but otherwise from west Uganda eastwards..
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Post by cabintom on Oct 13, 2017 3:35:51 GMT
According to Berger in "Les Papillons du Zaire" size matters! Is size really a reliable characteristic? I've never paid much attention to size. (EDIT: A random sampling of the males puts them at about 45mm, which also indicates gregorii if I'm not mistaken.) |
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