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COMPARATIVE GALLERY: SUBFAMILY DANAINAE - MONARCHS, CLEARWINGS AND TIGERWINGS
The tribe Danaini is one of the best studied groups of Neotropical butterflies. The typical Monarchs are distinctive, robust butterflies well-known for their mass migrations. Typical Monarchs are orange in colour with black bodies and patternation on the wings. They can provide an identification challenge, concentrate especially on the pattern of the lower hindwing. Monarchs frequently form communal roosts. The Ithomiini are a distinctive but decidedly confusing group of butterflies characterised by their long, thin wings. Great similarity between species and individual variability means that identification should be attempted with care. This is an extraordinary group of unpalatable species, all of which are involved in Mullerian mimicry rings. The unpalatability of the species is down to the presence of alkaloids in their system which they obtain from their food as larvae.
Click on the photo to enlarge it to full size.
Click on the species links to access the FAUNA Paraguay Handbook of Paraguayan Fauna Species Account.
Gallery 1 - Tribe Danaini: Danaus and Lycorea
FIGURE 1a - Empress Danaus eresimus  - Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007).
FIGURE 1b - Monarch Danaus erippus dwarf winter form - Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith April 2008).
FIGURE 1c - Queen Danaus gilippus (note the lower wing spots on this specimen) - Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007).
FIGURE 1d -  Tiger Mimic Queen Lycorea halia - Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007).
FIGURE 1e - Crystal Queen Lycorea ilione - Fería Municipal, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith September 2007).
Gallery 2 - Tribe Ithomiini The Clearwings: Aeria, Dircenna, Episcada, Epityches, Mcclungia, Methona, Pseudoscada, and Pteronymia
FIGURE 2a - Olena Clearing Aeria olena - Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007).
FIGURE 2b - Big-bordered Dircenna Dircenna dero - Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007).
FIGURE 2c - Crystalina Episcada hymenaea -  Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith April 2007).
FIGURE 2d - Watermark Epityches eupompe - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith June 2007).
FIGURE 2e - Yellow-banded Crystalina Mcclungia (cymo) salonina - Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007).
FIGURE 2f - Themisto Clearwing Methona themisto - upper photo Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007), lower photo Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Regis Nossent July 2005).
FIGURE 2g - Bluish Crystalina Pseudoscada errusca - Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith August 2007).
FIGURE 2h - Blue Crystalina Pteronymia sylvo - Hotel Tirol, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007).

The last two species Pseudoscada errusca and Pteronymia sylvo are extremely similar. Note the slight difference in the hindwing venation.
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Gallery 3 - Tribe Ithomiini The Tigerwings: Hypothyris, Mechanitis, Placidina and Tithorea
An exceptionally variable and complicated group with extreme similarity between species within the group and other unrelated species in other groups - they form part of complex mimic rings.
FIGURE 3a - Euclea Tigerwing Hypothyris euclea - Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith May 2007).
FIGURE 3b - Confused Tigerwing Mechanitis lysimnia - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 2007).
FIGURE 3c - Placidina euryanassa - Pilar, Departamento Ñeembucú (Andres Contreras undated).
FIGURE 3d - Harmonia Tigerwing Tithorea harmonia - Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith April 2007).
Thanks to Ezequiel Nuñez-Bustos for assistance with butterfly identification.
Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this page taken by Paul Smith and are used with permission.
Special thanks to Ulf Drechsel for permission to use images from his site www.pybio.org.