Figure 1.

Pattern of wing venation and androconial structures in the Bicyclus sciathis species group. (A) The venation pattern of B. sciathis with the names of cells (inside wing) and veins (outside wing margin) used throughout the text. The anal patch androconia present in the species related to B. sciathis is shown as two oval symbols. The schematic drawing is based on a male specimen collected in eastern Nigeria and shows the main morphological differences between B. sciathis and two closely related species (dashed lines) B. elishiae sp.n. and B. sigiussidorum sp.n. In the first species, vein 1A + 2A and CuA2 on the forewing are bent, while they run almost in parallel in the latter two species. (B) In B. sciathis, vein 1A + 2A on the hindwing bends outwards towards vein CuA2 so that most scales of the outer part of the anal patch androconia are not crossed by vein 1A + 2A (highlighted by white dots). The outer edge of the patch is not always well defined so some scales can still be present in cell CuA2. (C, D) In B. elishiae sp.n. (C) and B. sigiussidorum sp.n. (D), vein 1A + 2A (highlighted by white dots) crosses broadly over the outer part of the anal patch. The inner part of the patch stands out clearly from the outer scales and is raised above the wing surface as a small bulge. (E, F) In several species the basal part of cell CuA2 on the forewing underside has a dark shiny coloration. Species shown are B. sciathis (E) and B. procora (F). (G) For some species the size of the androconia on the ventral side of the forewing can have diagnostic value. The species shown is B. amieti. (H, I) Hindwing shape also has diagnostic value. In B. elishiae sp.n. the hindwing is almost circular (H) compared with the more typical shape found in B. makomensis (I). Also note the swelling of the wing veins at the point where vein Rs meets the hindwing discal cell; the size of this enlargement is important to separate B. makomensis from morphologically similar species.