Where, exactly, is the face on a Dogface?

[Mark Walker]

John Acorn wrote about the Dogface butterfly:



Hi Folks,

Since things seem to have become much more quiet and amicable here lately,
let me distract the group from the topic of Bt corn by posing a question
with almost no practical significance whatsoever.  On a Dogface butterfly
(genus Zerene), I have always seen the profile of a poodle, with its mouth
closed but the lips a bit puckered, the mouth sitting at about the mid-point
between the leading and trailing edge of the front wing.  The other day, I
looked again, and realized it might really be a Shi-Tzu, with its mouth wide
open (much closer to the trailing edge), and a double-bumped nose.  Any
comment on this rarified lepidopterotrivial puzzle?

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Actually, the profile on the Southern Dogface is much more variable than the
one on the California Dogface.  I've seen several different dogs on the
forewing of this Lep, both with open and closed mouths.  I think I even saw
a marmot profile once.

I sometimes see wierd stuff in the clouds, too (especially when the
butterflying is slow).  I've attributed this to salad day flashbacks,
however.

Mark Walker.