BLUE-BORDERED CALLICORE Callicore pygas FAUNA PARAGUAY

Paulogramma pyracmon pyracmon (Godart [1824])
ENG: False Callicore
ESP: Pará Mediana
JIZ: Forewing large and square with rounded apices. Hindwing rounded with slightly undulated outer margin. Poses with wings folded. Can be approachable. No sexual dimorphism. FLI: Flight fast and erratic, rarely for long distances and posing suddenly.
UPP: M/F (Fig 1) Forewing mostly black with single white apical spot and indistinct row of pale blue dashes along outer margin. Basal and medial forewing is broadly purplish-red with "bite marks" basally near the costal edge giving it a "ragged" appearance. Hindwing black with deep velvet blue blush and row of three small turquoise dots near anal angle.
UND: M/F (Fig 2) Underside of forewing pale red basally with black and yellow costa basally and broad black blotch about one-third of the way along the costa - conspicuous against the red background. Rest of forewing black with broad yellow subapical band and thin pale blue apical line. Base colour of hindwing yellow with broad, black, central 80 pattern with pale blue spaces and well defined, separated characters. Elongated U-shape in the form of concentric bands located between the central design and the body. Single black concentric band with blue centre located between the central design and outer margin, fused with the 0 close to the hindwing costa. Outer margin thinly black
BOD: No information.
MMT: No information for Paraguay. Canals (2003) gives a CL of 22mm.
SSP: Separated with care from Callicore pygas. Dorsally they are extremely similar, but this species shows a white apical spot, not a thin white band and an uneven red patch on the forewing with "bites" taken out of it basally - that of C.pygas is smoothly-rounded and almost semi-circular in shape. Ventrally this species has an "80" shape on the hindwing, C.pygas showing a characteristic "8000" pattern. Note that this species has an inconspicuous pale blue line restricted to the apical margin, and not extending along the outer margin of the ventral forewing as it does in C.pygas. A black costal blotch in the reddish patch of the ventral forewing is characteristic of Paulogramma but absent in C.pygas. Callicore hydaspes is distinguished ventrally by the fact that the 08 design on the middle of the ventral hindwing is fused ie it does not consist of two separate "digits" and that the outermost concentric band is wholly black, not blue with a black border. Dorsally hydaspes has the red on the forewing reduced to a single, well-defined band and brighter, more conspicuous blue on the hindwing. Paulogramma can immediately be distinguished from the "Eighty-eights" in the genus Diaethra by the yellowish and not white base colour to the underwing and the presence of red on the dorsal forewing.
ABU: Uncommon in suitable habitat.
HAB: Humid forest and edge.
HOS: No information available.
Citable Reference: Smith P (2007) FAUNA Paraguay Online Handbook of Paraguayan Fauna Butterfly Species Account 20 Paulogramma pyracmon.
Last Updated: 24 September 2007.
References:
Canals G 2003 Mariposas de Misiones - LOLA, Buenos Aires.