Observation date: July 31, 2020
Date notes: Temperature was 83 degrees F.
Submitted by: Aner
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: I did not see upper surface of wings, and this individual is lighter than most, so I am wondering if it is P. mylitta?
Status: Resident
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: September 19, 2020
Coordinator notes: That's a nice ventral shot - all key marks are visible - and I see why you wonder about tharos vs mylitta. ventral hindwings for both vary quite a bit; yours is light, especially the crescent spot itself, but within the range of options for each. What tips me toward Pearl Crescent are two dark marks on the underside of the forewing, which your photo shows so well. Mylitta has few dark marks on ventral forewing. Yours shows the black blotch near the back margin where a chip is missing from the wing - that suggests tharos. Glassberg (2017, p. 210) points out second region along the margin toward the apex, that is dark on tharos, like yours, and not on mylitta. Bosque habitats also support Pearl Crescent, which is common there. Mylitta could occur there, too, but less commonly. It prefers to patrol upland watercourses.
