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Dynamine coenus coenus (Fabricius 1793)
ENG: Whitespot Sailor, White Drop
ESP: Gota blanca
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 bright blue with thin black edge, at its lateral extreme encompassing a small white emargination, pinched at the base and almost separated from the white of the rest of the wing as a discrete spot. Large white postmedial spot on costal margin reaches costa, and two small submarginal white spots on outer margin. Hindwing mostly white with thin black outer margin.
UND: M/F (Fig 1&2) 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 variably rusty-brown edges to black areas. Black areas variably replaced with blue in some individuals, especially towards the apex. Upper white marginal spot is greatly elongated and reaches the apex. Hindwing mostly white with thin rusty-brown submargin bordered black and thin white outer margin. Extreme base of hindwing tinged rusty-brown with black border, continuous with upperwing pattern.
BOD: M/F Upperside of head and thorax black. Abdomen grey-white above with a black medial line. Underside of body white. Antennae black with minute white bands and orange tips to clubs. Eyes rusty-brown above, grey below. Legs grey-white.
MMT: A small Biblid. No information for Paraguay. Canals (2003) gives a CL of 16mm.
SSP: The diagnostic characters in this species are the clearly bluish costal bases on the upperwing and the thin black marginal line along the outer margin of the dorsal hindwing. This species is closest to the other "white sailors", especially Dynamine agacles from which it is distinguished by a much thinner black outer margin to the dorsal hindwing and the lack of a white semi-circular "bubble" in the thin rusty-brown submargin of the ventral hindwing. Dynamine athemon has an additional vertical brownish line on the postmedial ventral hindwing and a broad black border of the dorsal hindwing. 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 26 Dynamine coenus
Last Updated: 3 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 March 07 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database). 2 - PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith March 07 - ECOSARA Biodiversity Database).
