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Project Noah Nature School
Euptoieta claudia
Orange, yellow & black butterfly. Pattern looks like watercolor painting.
Looks very much like the Mexican Fritillary (Euptoieta hegesia), a keen eye & pattern comparisons show very very subtle differences between the two.
:-)... As a lepilover you need indeed keen eyes... but even then there are some nasty guys around, like skippers, crescents and almost all moths, not to forget the caterpillars...
You have a keen eye, Bayucca. When I was comparing my spot to the original suggestion of the Mexican Fritillary, I noticed differences, but 'assumed' that there were slight variations within the species. After comparing spot by spot w/ the variegated, it's very clear that's what it is. The two are so similar, I wonder if anyone could spot the difference out in the field. Clearly, these two variants had the same daddy many, many, many generations ago!
I apologize but it is the Variegated Fritillary. Take a look at the upper part of the hindwing. It is "empty" in Hegesia but "filled" in Claudia.
Spotted on Apr 21, 2012
Submitted on Apr 21, 2012
+2
