Mystery Butterfly - Texola elada

Seems certain enough

I went ahead and moved it. Wonder why I never seem to find weird mutants like this? )-:

I wonder if a dark mutant like this one is how Microtia elva originally started looking different from other Checkerspots?
Take the color away, and Microtia, Dymasia, and Texola are all pretty much the same.

Moved from Tiny Checkerspot.

… David J. Ferguson, 26 November, 2008 - 11:41am

Moved

Moved from Crescents, Checkerspots, Anglewings, etc..

… Tony-2, 3 December, 2006 - 1:59pm

Just noticed someting

While going through all of the Dymasia and Texola.

It struck me odd that the under side hind wing margin would be orange on Dymasia dymas, even a mutant (it never is on a normal one). So, on a hunch I pulled up some photos of Texola and low and behold - - -

If you look at the underside of the hind wing on this one, the orange markings are precisely where they should be on Texola elada - to the last detail. The only difference is that nearly all the white is filled in with black. If you compare with the underside of a normal Dymasia dymas, this doesn't work, things are in the wrong places. The same correlation of the orange follows on other wing surfaces too, but not so obviously (since most of the light markings are orange, not white). Anyway, I'm pretty confident that you've got Texola elada perse here.

Here are a few more to compare with:
Butterflies of America

… David J. Ferguson, 25 November, 2008 - 7:48pm

I think

you've got a good catch there - makes sense. I should have noticed the same with the unders, but I think at the time I was overwhelmed by the entire strange appearance, so much so, I couldn't focus on detail. Lots of lep experts saw this and were likewise fooled.

… Bob Beatson, 25 November, 2008 - 8:00pm

Butterfly

This can only be an atypical Thessalia species. Which one it is is indeed still a mystery. It is absent some typical coloration on the exterior and interior wing surfaces. I will have Dr. Warren look at this.

… Herschel Raney, 19 August, 2006 - 9:11pm

Thanks

for your efforts. Hopefully, Dr. Warren will be able to give us some idea of what in the world, literally, I found. An aberrant Black Checkerspot (Thessalia cyneas) did come to mind.

… Bob Beatson, 19 August, 2006 - 11:04pm

Butterfly

By wing shape, Dr. Warren thinks this is a Texola elada or Dysmasia dymus. Either way, very atypical for either.

… Herschel Raney, 21 August, 2006 - 4:51pm

There were

lots of Dymasia d. about - this one probably freaked them out good! Thanks for contacting Dr. Walker. I was beginning to think it was a common species with genetic problems, so that would fit.

… Bob Beatson, 21 August, 2006 - 7:16pm

Wow

Sure looks foreign to me. Can't find anything even close in my books.

… Cliff Bernzweig, 18 August, 2006 - 5:28pm

Thanks for

your comment Cliff. In addition to Dr. Walker's opinion above, two professional entomologists, one a lep expert, living in S. AZ (Carl Olson & Jim Brock) believe it is a melanistic D. dymas. So, I guess that settles it. Guess its not the first vagrant from Antarctica to reach AZ...oh, well.

… Bob Beatson, 22 August, 2006 - 7:03pm