Vanessa and the white dot

[Will Cook]

Several field guides (e.g., Glassberg) and other sources (e.g., 
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm)
mention that one way to tell American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) from
Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) is the presence of a small white spot in
the orange field below the black apical patch in American Lady.  

However, on 11/11/01 I found a Painted Lady with a white dot - this is
apparently not reliable field mark.  I just posted a photo of this
Painted Lady at http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/pix/paintedlady.html (second
photo).

-- 
Charles W. "Will" Cook                  w 919-660-7423
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook            cwcook at duke.edu
Box 90340, Biology Dept., Duke Univ., Durham, NC 27708

 
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