The above is a Vanessa virginiensis (American Lady butterfly) I spread recently. Unlike the sphinx moth specimen I degreased a while back, this specimen got stained with grease right away (within 2 weeks). You can see that the lower outer half of the left hind wing is stained. It has a brownish color and is more dull compared to the right side. The upper part is shiny where the light is reflecting off the grease. So, like last time, I poured out a small dish of acetone and put the specimen in and let it soak.
This picture was taken about 2 hours later. The improvement is easily noticed by comparing the medial lower aspect of the left hind wing with the right. The discoloration is gone. The upper outer part of the left hind wing is misshapen but that's just how the butterfly had formed (a birth defect if you will). One of the veins seemed to have a small break or kink and the surrounding wing surface was wrinkled. Some of the surrounding color is also a bit asymmetric.
This species does not exhibit a lot of sexual dimorphism - that is to say, the males and females don't look a whole lot different and it's very hard to tell them apart. Some websites will say that there is no easy way. However, this is not true! This specimen is a female and you can tell because the spots just below the mid leading edge of the upper forewings is orange in females and white in males.
The last year has been quite busy for me in terms of moving and starting a new job. I did still manage to raise a few new species, but just haven't had time to update this blog. I hope to post some new stories soon.
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