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Post by mothylator on Apr 29, 2020 21:49:34 GMT
Seen some interesting pics of a male bilateral dichromatic Colotis ione from Tanz. I wondered if this is real, and what the mechanism of aberration is for this kind of form? What do you think? <https://www.flickr.com/gp/188203476@N07/i2b23v/>
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Post by trehopr1 on Apr 30, 2020 5:18:21 GMT
Africaone will probably give you the most credible reason for this as he has done extensive work in Africa.
Is it possible this is a species of Colotis which has 2 "seasonal" color forms which look quite un-like one another. Perhaps somehow, this fellow is a "one in a million" crossover (so to speak) featuring both color forms present on one individual. Of coarse, this is merely speculation on my part.
The perfect bi-lateral division is indeed very intriguing !
Colotis are a group Africaone does like as he has show us a drawer of his in the past.
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Post by africaone on Apr 30, 2020 8:46:21 GMT
nor gynandro, no morph, none male of ione have this kind of color (as far as I have seen and I have seen a lot being collector of Colotis). I know this strange specimen and found no obvious answer (it is necessar to examine it directly). Two ain thing must be considered. the asymetry of the colored pattern (some patches are bigger on the mauve side, this is not exceptionnal in such variable butterflies)) and the "discolored" area seems to be derived from the mauve of the male (shining) not the orange female one. The only explanation I can find is an accident of colororation of the male mauve apical on one wing. Discolored by sun exposure in the pupa (that can explain the bilateral asymetry) or may be genetic during imaginal disc genese (the fact that it is asymetric is twice exceptional). The other problem with this late is that this color doesn't exist in ione male and if it is a mutation, this had been occured somtimes in the past (as it is one the most common and collected colotis in Africa, it is strange to not find any other). Another artefact remains possible. I have yet had such artefact in papered specimens in which a part of the paper was in contact with a chemical and discolored only the part of the lepido that was in contact (can also be discolored by water during relaxing). Again, necessar to examine the specimen closely. Africans often used such agressive chemical to preserve their collectings as they don't have other way to do it.
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Post by mothylator on Apr 30, 2020 8:56:21 GMT
Thanks very much. Very interesting indeed. If I can examine the specimen closely I’ll give some feedback.
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Post by cabintom on Apr 30, 2020 19:48:41 GMT
I'm noticing that it's not just the FW apex that is different. Viewed dorsally (recto) the left FW's veins are more darkly marked (mostly towards the apex, and it lacks the postcellular mark.
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