Contour plots of the normalized electron VDs, log(f/f_max), in the (v_∥, v_⊥)-plane for different SKD configurations relevant to the solutions in Fig. 2, illustrating the drift-induced anisotropies and suprathermal tails. Left: Broadened core halo (κ_h = 3.0) and a sharp decay in the antisunward direction due to the Maxwellian strahl. Middle: More compact core halo with a steep Maxwellian decay of the halo and a slower decay of the SKD strahl. Right: Both halo and strahl have SKDs, yielding a global topology dominated by the denser halo and explaining the unstable solutions. The parameters used are indicated in the title.