The odd-Z 251 Md nucleus was studied using combined gamma-ray and conversion-electron inbeam spectroscopy. Besides the previously observed rotational band based on the [521]1/2 − configuration, a new rotational structure has been identified using gamma-gamma coincidences. The use of electron spectroscopy allowed the rotational bands to be observed over a larger rotational frequency range. Using the transition intensities that depend on the gyromagnetic factor, a [514]7/2 − single-particle configuration has been inferred for the new band, i.e. the ground-state band. A physical background that dominates the electron spectrum with an intensity of 60% was well reproduced by simulating a set of unresolved excited bands. Moreover, a detailed analysis of the intensity profile as a function of the angular momentum provided a new method for deriving the orbital gyromagnetic factor, namely gK = 0.69 +0.19 −0.16 for the ground-state band. The odd-Z 249 Md was studied using gamma-ray in-beam spectroscopy. Evidence for octupole correlations resulting from the mixing of the ∆l = ∆j = 3 [521]3/2 − and [633]7/2 + Nilsson orbitals were found in both 249,251 Md. A surprising similarity of the 251 Md ground-state band transition energies with those of the excited band of 255 Lr has been discussed in terms of identical bands. New Skyrme-Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculations were performed to investigate the origin of the similarity between these bands.