Cupidopsis cissus

I have far fewer records of the Common Meadow Blue than its cousin C. jobates, probably because, being less exuberantly marked than the latter it goes less noticed. All three specimens here are from Cumberland.
We found the one pictured at the top while we were walking along the edge of the gorge.
In the middle is the upperside of a male in the company of the mud-puddlers at the drift to the camp site.
At the bottom a female: her blue is less intense than the male and she has wider brown bands to the margins of the wings.
See also Cupidopsis jobates.

Papilio dardanus

On a summers day we would not infrequently see a large cream-coloured butterfly repeatedly patrolling the garden, skilfully manoeuvring through the trees and shrubs. It would be a territorial male Mocker Swallow-tail,   and its flight for all the world resembling a Flying Handkerchief, its other common name.
The attraction of our garden would be some of their food plants: our citrus trees as well as a number of Clausena anisata (horsewood or less politely called perdepis from the strong smell of its crushed leaves.)
The females are more likely to be found resting at a woodland edge sunning their open wings.
The name Mocker because the females come in something like a dozen different forms, quoted as being iconic of female-limited Batesian mimicry. I have only posted four females (and not named them), but these showing a clear resemblance to the distasteful Danaus, Amauris and Acraea.
Here are some references to the genetics, engrailed and invected genes and the "evo-devo" of P. dardanus:
Sean Carroll's book: Endless Forms Most Beautiful.
H. Frederik Nijhout: Polymorphic mimicry in Paplio dardanus...
Rebecca Clark et al: Colour pattern specification in the Mocker Swallowtail...
 

Amauris albimaculata

The Layman, told from our other three SA Amauris spp. by the broad hind wing band being a light ochre,  but the fore wing patches all white.
At top, a male in our garden showing off his sex brands. Below is the underside of an individual nectaring on the flowers of a Combretum molle at Cumberland. The elongated white patch on the palp also distinguishes it from A.echeria. As is common to other Danainae, food plants are from the Asclepiadaceae, and being distasteful to predators,this butterfly acts as a model for various Batesian mimics (e.g. Papilio dardanus, Hypolimnas anthedon f.mima)

Zizina otis antanossa

Well, it appears that our Z. antanossa been lumped as a ssp. of Z. otis.
I found this fresh and robust butterfly at Cumberland in January, our mid-summer. I was not absolutely certain of the identification because of the aberrant underside hind wing disco-cellular spots. Starting at the top: the second spot, the position of which is diagnostic of the species, is entirely missing, and no. 5 is almost invisible.
(Compare this with my earlier posting Z. antanossa.)
Any comment re correct ID would be welcome.
(PS, entomologists count the veins the other way.)

Vanessa cardui (II)

The Painted Lady, or Vanessa of the thistle. Previously she was Cynthia of the thistle, used by Fabricius in 1807 as the type species to establish the genus Cynthia, before being assigned to his own genus Vanessa.
I just love the first specimen, up to her neck in the lavender flower.
(See also previous post on Vanessa.)
 

Telchinia esebria - forms

The Dusky  Acraea and mimicry.
The Telchinias are also known as the Bitter Acraeas because they are distasteful/ poisonous to predators, and advertise this with their aposematic colouring: reds, yellows and whites on a black background. As can be expected, mimicry will be the order of the day.
At the top is the form esebria, the red is alarming enough. The white sub-apical patches make her a female, (the male's would be ochre). She does have a resemblance to Papilio dardanus f. trophonius (Batesian.)
I came across some interesting publications on the role of the optix, (as well as invected and engrailed)  gene's role in the red pigment of the S. American Helioconius, and its part in mimicry and convergent evolution.
Next two pictures are of the ochrous form f. protea (our most common.) The larger of the mating pair with the white sub-apical markings is the female.
At the bottom is the form monteironis with white markings only.
The Acreaea (previously Bematistes) aganice is a Mullerian co-mimic of T. Esebria, the male of the male f. proteus, the female of f. monteironis. The unrelated Pseudacraea eurytus imitator is a Batesian mimic.
See also T. esebria (I), and Telchinia the genus.
I have started Bates' Naturalist on the River Amazons; a wonderful read. (various editions can be found on either Project Gutenberg, or archive.org.)

Telchinia esebria (I)

The Dusky Acraea, a common garden butterfly.

At top, the larger of the two mating would be the female.

Next a female ovipositing on the under surface of a stinging nettle leaf, the Urticaceae providing its foodplant.

A month later these eggs had hatched and the larvae well on their way.

(see also genus Telchinia., and  T.esebria - forms)