confusing Plusiinae
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/14236404#comment-1934266 discussion on distinguishing species of Chrsodeixis
tuli's Journal
July 16, 2018
June 23, 2018
Orange / Scarlet Tip Butterflies
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10876411
BEETLEDUDE'S COMMENT:
Another problem butterfly
As I believe we all should, I am using the following for guidance on Afrotropical butterfly taxonomy as it stands at present:
Williams MC (2018) Butterflies and Skippers of the Afrotropical Region. 17th edition. Lepidopterists Society of Africa. Set of 328 PDF documents.
◘ This is a whole illustrated butterfly encyclopedia, and it is now freely downloadable from here: http://www.lepsocafrica.org/?p=publications&s=atb.
◘ Note that the book consists of many chapters, each a separate PDF, and each corresponding to one genus, phylogenetically arranged.
NOW!
It is clear that Colotis danae does not occur south of Tanzania. Yes, all the books are wrong. The mistake arose with Roland Trimen in 1862, who confused Colotis danae [Red Tip] and Colotis annae. This mistake was only rectified in 2011!, by Nazari et al. The south-central and southern African species is Colotis annae.
There are three subspecies of Colotis annae, of which Colotis annae annae [Scarlet Tip] is widely distributed through southern Africa (southwards from southern Malawi and southern & eastern Zambia). The other subspecies are Colotis annae walkeri [Damara Scarlet Tip -- northern Namibia & southern Angola] and Colotis annae hildebrandtii [Golden Tip, a rather different-looking butterfly from northern Zambia & northern Malawi through Uganda & Tanzania to Kenya].
Here in Botswana only one of these butterflies occur, namely the Scarlet Tip Colotis annae annae.
June 11, 2018
Spider ID sites
from Wynand
Cool Pholcidae resource here:
http://www.pholcidae.de/
