Polytypic Species
Having grown up in northern Minnesota I was familiar with White Admiral butterflies, with their large, white-margined black wings. After moving to Northfield, in the southeast corner of the state, I was delighted to discover the large iridescent-blue Red-spotted Purple butterflies, then dumbfounded near disbelief to learn that they were the same species.
The southern subspecies of this polytypic species mimics the Pipevine Swallowtail, a large poisonous butterfly.
Curiously, another species in this genus, the Viceroy, is also a mimic, replicating the look of the Monarch, another large poisonous butterfly.
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