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Dynamine athemon athemaena (Hübner [1824])
ENG: Lined Sailor, Drop with Line
ESP: Gota con linea
JIZ: One of the "white sailors". Forewings triangular with relatively straight costa, and rounded apex and tornus. Hindwing rounded. Poses with wings folded in sunny areas. Attracted to dung and enriched muddy surfaces. Can be approachable. No sexual dimorphism. FLI: Fluttery but purposeful within 1m of the ground.
UPP: M/F (Fig 1) Forewing with broad black outer margins and white central area and posterior margin. Costa black sometimes with slight bluish tinge. Lateral extreme of white on forewing with slight triangular invagination into black costal border. Large white postmedial spot on costal margin does not reach costa, and two small submarginal white spots present on outer margin. Hindwing mostly white with broad black outer margin split in two by very thin white medial line. Trace of postmedial brown band on ventral hindwing is often visible as a ghost pattern across the upperside of the forewing.
UND: M/F (Fig 1) Underside of forewing follows essentially the same pattern as the upperside but is more brightly coloured with a thin rusty-brown edge to the costal and outer margins, and white and blue lines basally on the costa. Upper white marginal spot is greatly elongated and reaches the apex, whilst postmedial costal white spot is meets the costa. Hindwing mostly white with thin rusty-brown margin, followed by long white semicircular submarginal line, enclosed on the inner side by a thicker rusty-brown and black concave band. Two further vertical rusty-brown bands, thinly bordered with black, are located postmedially and basally and confirm the diagnosis of the species. When wings are folded the basal brown band is continuous with the dark areas of the upperwing and is difficult to see, whilst the postmedial vertical band stops abruptly on the hindwing and contacts the white of the upperwing, making it particularly conspicuous.
BOD: M/F Upperside of body brownish-black. Labial palps and underside of body white. Antennae black with minute white bands and orange tips to clubs. Eyes rusty-brown above, grey below. Legs white. Proboscis brownish-orange.
MMT: A small Biblid. No information for Paraguay. Canals (2003) gives a CL of 13-17mm.
SSP: The diagnostic characters in this species are the double vertical bands on the basal and postmedial parts of the ventral hindwing, whilst the black margin of the dorsal hindwing is broad and divided along its entire length by a thin white line. This species is closest to the other "white sailors", especially Dynamine agacles from which it is distinguished by the ventral hindwing pattern. Dynamine coenus has a strongly bluish costal base on the dorsal forewing and a thin black border of the dorsal hindwing, whilst the ventral hindwing is mostly white. Dynamine myrrhina has an almost pure white hindwing above and below and a much more extensively white forewing with white reaching the costa postmedially.
ABU: Uncommon in suitable habitat.
HAB: Associated with humid forest edge, clearings and gardens in humid areas.
HOS: No information.
Citable Reference: Smith P (2007) FAUNA Paraguay Online Handbook of Paraguayan Fauna Butterfly Species Account 27 Dynamine athemon
Last Updated: 4 December 2007.
References:
Canals G 2003 Mariposas de Misiones - LOLA, Buenos Aires.
ECOSARA Biodiversity Database
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FIGURE 1 - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith 16 Nov 07 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
