Male

 

wingspan :


what we call the "Southern type", found in the Azogues area, has typically a rather large HW patch, triangular in shape, with its sides almost straight although the "three fingers" remain visible.


in 2015 we wrote : "in this area nearly all P. phaedra belong to the yellow form, and we did not find any white form", but at last, in 2016, we saw some specimens near Cholay.


on butterfliesofamerica Pedaliodes phaedra has two subspecies only, a white one and a yellow one, that's not many ; but these two "subspecies" fly together in most places.
worse, six new subspecies are presently being described, and the six of them from Ecuador... does it make sense ?


the limited knowledge we acquired through fieldwork is that :
- yellow forms and white forms are sympatric,
- in the South, yellow forms clearly outnumber white forms, and in the North it's the opposite,
- in the North of Sangay NP, white forms are really white, and yellow forms a very pale kind of yellow,
- when, in the Center and in the South, yellow forms are a strong yellow, and white forms a very pale yellow, as is the rule in Southern Ecuador,
- particularly in the North of Sangay NP, fly specimens with white FW markings, and HW markings almost yellow,
- and, most important, on a given location, white and yellow forms share the same pattern.


we consider we have three phenotypes in Sangay NP :
   - Northern type, from Baños to Riobamba, and particularly Alao,
   - Central type, East of'Atillo, but on the Eastern slopes,
   - Southern type, Azogues (on this page the white form).


 

P. phaedra, forma blanca, cerca de Zholay
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