Vanessa and the white dot

[Ron Gatrelle]

Will,
    Very interesting picture.  The shape and form of this white spot lends
strongly to it being a genetic mutation.  In other words this is not a
naturally occurring spot.  Genetic material from a white spot in the apical
area was duplicated in the pupal phase in the wrong area.  This specimen
would then be an aberrant and not a "normally" or occasionally occurring
form.
    Your point that if someone was just keying on the white spot in that
area that they might well miss ID this particular specimen is surely true.
Like Alex, I know you are a more experienced observer and the point both of
you have made (what I hear you saying) is that one needs to become familiar
with species in a broad way on their own and not continually be locked into
the limited "keys" given in the literature that only work for "typical"
individuals.
    Again, it is a super picture of the specimen's forewing.
Ron


 -----Original Message-----
 From: Will Cook [SMTP:cwcook at duke.edu]
 Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 11:32 AM
 To: carolinaleps at duke.edu
 Subject: Vanessa and the white dot

 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
 Biology Dept., Duke Univ., Box 90340, Durham, NC 27708



 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl