''Mycalesis mestra'', the white-edged bushbrown, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of satyrine

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

found in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

(Assam, Burma, Sikkim, Bhutan)"''Mycalesis'' Hübner, 1818"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms''

Description

Upperside very dark Vandyke brown, the cilia conspicuously white, the transverse white discal band of the underside showing through on both forewing and hindwing, but very plainly on the latter. Forewing with a white-centred, fulvous-ringed, median, and a similar but much smaller subapical eyespot, the latter very often absent; broad but faint and ill-defined sub-terminal and terminal white lines. Hindwing: a subtornal ocellus (eyespot) similar to those on the forewing and much more conspicuous; subterminal and terminal whitish lines. Underside: ground colour similar; basal half of wings closely irrorated (sprinkled) with pale transverse stripe; a conspicuous white discal band, inwardly sharply defined, outwardly diffused, followed by series of ocelli similar to the ocelli on the upperside, a median and two subapical on the forewing, three subapical and three tornal on the hindwing: the number of these ocelli is variable, sometimes one or more additional ocelli are present, often one or more are lacking on the hindwing; finally, the subterminal and terminal white bands as on the upperside but better defined. Antenna, head, thorax and abdomen brown; antennae annulated (ringed) with white, ochraceous at apex. Male sex-mark in form 2. ''

Mycalesis suaveolens ''Mycalesis'', the bushbrowns, are a genus of brush-footed butterflies. They are common in the warm regions from Central Asia to Australia, and have a high diversity in South Asia and the Wallacea. They are notably polymorphic, with wet- and d ...

'' Wood-Mason & de Nicéville, 1883 resembles ''M. mestra'', but differs constantly as follows: Upperside ground colour a brighter, more ruddy brown; cilia white tinged with ochraceous; the discal, subterminal and terminal bands on the underside showing through much more faintly than in ''M. mestra''; the number of ocelli very variable. Underside: basal area uniform, with no trace of the pale transverse striae; white discal band narrower, subterminal and terminal bands brownish white.

References

Mycalesis Fauna of Pakistan Butterflies of Asia {{Elymniini-stub