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Post by letmarkin on Oct 17, 2011 12:06:20 GMT -8
Have any of Buckeye experts out there every seen a buckeye with a tear drop shaped large spot on the fore wing ? I got into a group of them 2 days ago and could tell they were different. They were also much harder to catch and flew much faster than the other buckeyes around them. I did manage to collect one of them.
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Post by letmarkin on Oct 18, 2011 5:18:36 GMT -8
I guess a picture might. The specimen on the top has the unusual shaped large eye-spot on the fore-wing. The specimen below it is what I normally see. Is this a common occurrence ? Attachments:
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Post by bluemoth on Oct 18, 2011 16:27:26 GMT -8
Some of my captive Stock for breeding also show this tear drop shaped eye. It first started out as a very tiny extra eye by the big black eye of the front wing. By the third generation after seeing the extra eye it had fully fused with the bigger black eye creating a very similar shape as the eye of your butterfly. I have only seen this in females of my captive stock.
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Post by letmarkin on Oct 18, 2011 17:12:24 GMT -8
Thanks bluemoth.
All the buckeyes I saw with this tear drop spot were on or near host plants and not close to or feeding on nectar plants. I assumed they were females laying eggs. They were very strong fliers and some what larger than what I see in normal Buckeye females. So I think your experience with seeing this in only your female specimens probably is the case in my situation as well. I did not see or collect any males with this marking.
I sure wish I had collected more.
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