Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Coliadinae
Genus: Aurema
Species: albula -- Ghost Yellow - (Cramer, 1775)
Identification: Pure white above with black tip to forewing.
Life history: Males patrol in heavy second growth or forest understory, usually in light openings.
Flight: All year in tropical habitats.
Wing span: 1 1/4 - 2 inches (3.0-5.0 cm).
Caterpillar hosts: Cassias.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Tropical forests and second growth.
For more INFO: (E. albula)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Heliconiinae
Tribe: Heliconiini
Subtribe: Heliconiiti
Genus: Dryas -- Hübner, 1807
Species: D. iulia
Binomial name: Dryas iulia --(Fabricius, 1775)
Identification: Dryas iulia (incorrectly spelled julia), commonly called the Julia Butterfly or Julia Heliconian, is a species of brush-footed butterfly. The sole representative of its genus Dryas, it is native from Brazil to southern Texas and Florida, and in summer can sometimes be found as far north as eastern Nebraska. Over 15 subspecies have been described.
Wings colored orange (brighter in male specimens) with black markings; this species is somewhat unpalatable to birds and belongs to the "orange" Batesian mimic complex
Life history: This butterfly is a fast flier and frequents clearings, paths, and margins of forests and woodlands. It feeds on the nectar of flowers, such as lantanas (Lantana) and Shepherd's-needle (Scandix pecten-veneris). Its caterpillars feeds on leaves of passion vines including Passiflora affinis and Yellow Passionflower (P. lutea) in Texas.
Flight: All year in tropical habitats.
Wing span: Ranges from 82 to 92 mm
For more INFO: (Wikipedia - Dryas iulia)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Hemiargus
Species: cearunus (Ceraunus Blue) (Fabricius, 1793)
Physical Description:
Upperside of male light blue with a darker narrow border ; female dark brown, often with wing bases blue. Underside gray; both wings with a row of dark postmedian dashes. Florida butterflies have one submarginal eyespot on hindwing ; Southwest butterflies have two.
Wing span: 3/4 - 1 1/8 inches (2 - 3 cm).
Habitat: Open woodland, desert scrub , dunes, pastures, road edges , gardens, and vacant lots.
Open places; fields , roadsides, woodland edges, etc. In coastal GA, where resident, it is found in dunes and other coastal habitats . To be looked for near low vegetation, where it stays close to the ground like an Eastern Tailed-Blue.
Open woodland, desert scrub, dunes, pastures, road edges, and vacant lots.
Diet:
Caterpillar hosts: A variety of woody legumes including partridge pea (Cassia brachiata), mesquite (Prosopis species), and rosary pea (Abrus precatorius).
Adult food: Flower nectar. Woody legumes are foodplants. Nectar plants are not well known.
Reproduction: Males patrol during warm hours of the day for receptive females. Eggs are laid singly on flower buds or leaves of host plant; caterpillars feed on flowers and seedpods.
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family:Riodinidae
Scientific name:Melanis electron melantho - Ménétries, 1855.
Identification: Wing Width: 21 to 23 mm. Sexes similar.
Fore wing with dorsal surface black. Orange horizontal stripe in the middle area. With an orange stain in the apical end, a red spot in the area posbasal.
Hind wing black, with orange marginal band. In the area posbasal a red stain.
Range: Mexico to panama, trinidad, noth of South America.
Habitat: Edges of primary and secondary forest, abandoned logging trails and wooded pastures.
Food: Adults visit flowers of Inga marginata, Cordia sp., Lantana camara and Pithecellobiun longifolium.
Hosts: Pithecellobium samman (Mimosaceae).
Phylum: Arthropoda - Arthropods
Class: Insecta - Insects
Order: Lepidoptera - Butterflies and Moths
Superfamily: Papilionoidea - Butterflies (excluding skippers)
Family: Nymphalidae - Brushfooted Butterflies
Subfamily: Heliconiinae - Heliconians and Fritillaries
Genus: Heliconius
Species: erato
Sub Species: hydara
Introduction:
This widespread, geographically variable butterfly (see map 2 below) is involved in Müllerian mimicry with the concordantly variable Heliconius melpomene over most of its range. Only H. erato chestertonii Hewitson does not have a corresponding H. melpomene co-mimic. That race, from the upper Cauca valley of Colombia, is a co-mimic of H. cydno weymeri Staudinger.
Etymology: ERATO was one of the nine Muses, the goddesses of music, song and dance. Her name means "the lovely" or "beloved" from the Greek word eratos. In Classical times, when the Muses were assigned specific artistic spheres, she was named Muse of erotic poetry and mimic imitation and represented holding a lyre (ERATO).
Characteristics:
Early stages: Eggs are yellow and approximately 1.5 x 0.9 mm (h x w). Females usually place eggs singly on growing shoots of the host plant. Mature larvae have a white body with black and orange spots, black scoli, and yellow head; length is around 1.3 cm. Caterpillars are solitary (Brown, 1981). Pupae are brown with gold spots on the dorsum, the thorax is strongly bowed and has short abdominal spines. The head has long head horns and the antennae have many short black spines (Brown, 1981; DeVries, 1997).
Geographical Distribution:
Heliconius erato is widespread throughout Central America and South America. The map below shows an approximate representation of the geographic distribution of this species. The original data used to draw these maps are derived from Brown (1979) which is available at Keith S. Brown Jr. (1979). Ecological Geography and Evolution in Neotropical Forests.
Make: Canon
Model: Canon PowerShot SX110 IS
Software: GIMP 2.4.3
Exposure Time: 1/318
F-Stop: f/3.5
ISO Speed Ratings: 80
Focal Length: 9100/1000 mm
Date Taken: 2010-06-19 10:53
Metering Mode: Center Weighted Average
Flash: Flash fired
File Size: 234 kb
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Sub-family: Nymphalinae
Scientific name: Hamadryas februa
Introduction:
There are 20 members of the genus Hamadryas, commonly known as Crackers due to the ability of the males of several species to produce a clearly audible sound which is similar to the crackling of bacon in a frying pan.
The sound is produced as the butterflies take off, and is made by twanging a pair of spiny rods at the tip of the abdomen against bristles on the valvae ( the male's anal claspers ). Only males can produce the sound, but both sexes can detect it - their wings have tiny hollow cells covered in membranes which vibrate in response to sound and stimulate nerve endings. The purpose of the sound is not fully understood : it may deter competing males from occupying the same territory, and may also act as a trigger to initiate the first response from a female during courtship.
Hamadryas butterflies use their ears to detect crackling noises made by territorial males. The sound is made by twanging 2 tiny prongs on the tip of the abdomen against bristles on the valvae. The males habitually bask on tree trunks, where they wait to intercept passing females.
All Hamadryas species have a beautiful calico pattern on the upperside. In many there is a series of submarginal ocelli on the hindwings, and distinct kidney-shaped stigmata in the discal cells of fore and hind wings. In several species such as februa and glauconome the ground colour is greyish and the pattern acts as an extremely effective camouflage against the bark of trees. In other species such as amphinome, laodamia and velutina the wings are velvety black with a blue sheen and a pattern of bright blue spots.
Most Hamadryas species are found only in Central and South America, although 8 have been recorded sporadically in the southern USA.
Hamadryas februa is the commonest and most widespread species, found from southern Texas to Uruguay and Paraguay.
Habitats:
This species is found in degraded rainforest and deciduous forest habitats, including orchards and the forested margins of cattle ranches, at altitudes between sea level and about 800 metres.
Adult behaviour:
In common with other Hamadryas species februa can often be seen basking on tree trunks, in a head-downward position and with the wings flattened against the bark. They will bask in this position for long periods to await potential mates. They commonly settle at a height of about 2 metres but if disturbed by humans they fly up and resettle higher up, either on the same tree or on another nearby. They remain high in the trees until the intruder leaves, and then descend the tree trunk in a series of short flights, dropping a short distance each time until after several minutes they resume their original position.
The butterflies are active from sunrise to sunset, and are rarely seen away from tree trunks, but also sometimes bask on rock faces or tree foliage. On a few occasions I have also seen them settling on the ground in lightly vegetated forest clearings.
For more INFO: (Hamadryas februa)
Make: OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP.
Model: SP565UZ
Software: Picasa 3.0
Exposure Time: 10/8000 sec
F-Stop: f/4.0
ISO Speed Ratings: 64
Focal Length: 1600/100 mm
Date Taken: 2010-07-04 08:12
Metering Mode: Spot
Flash: Flash did not fire
File Size: 259 kb
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Scientific name: Eresia clio clio (Linnaeus, 1758)
Description:
Wing Size: Males 17-19 mm., Females 20-24 mm. Sexes dimorphic.
Male: Fore wing grayish black color with a white spot in the discal cell cream, a creamy white patch in the middle area. Below the discal cell, two white spots on the subápice cream. Hind wing black, gray, cream white stripe, a white dot at the apex cream.
Female: Fore wing grayish black, creamy white stripe in the discal cell, a transverse strip subápice creamy white below. A creamy white speck at the apex, the mean area under the disc cell a circular patch of creamy white. Hind wing black, brown with a wide white stripe cream, creamy white spot at the apex, a creamy white line in the marginal area.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
(unranked): Rhopalocera
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Tribe: Victorinini
Genus: Siproeta
Species: S. stelenes
Binomial name: Siproeta stelenes (Linnaeus, 1758)
Introduction:
The tribe Kallimini includes the Asian Kallima ( Dead Leaf butterflies ), and the African genera Precis
( Pansies ) and Salamis ( Mother of Pearl butterflies ). In the neotropics the tribe is represented by the genera Anartia, Junonia, Hypolimnas, Metamorpha, Napeocles and Siproeta.
The genus Siproeta comprises of 3 species - the Malachite stelenes, the green-banded superba, and the Rusty-tipped Page epaphus. All are large butterflies, with wingspans averaging 10 cms.
The beautiful Malachite is distributed from Florida and Texas, south to Peru, Argentina and Bolivia. The butterflies look particularly beautiful when seen at rest, with sunshine streaming through the translucent green windows on the wings.
Some workers consider stelenes to be a Batesian mimic of the Heliconiine Philaethria dido. The 2 species generally occupy different habitats, but their avian predators probably encounter both species fairly regularly, so the theory may have some basis.
Habitats:
This is a widespread and common species found in a wide variety of habitats including lowland primary rainforest, mid-elevation cloudforest and deciduous forests, usually in the vicinity of rivers at altitudes between about 100-1200m. It is probably most commonly seen in secondary habitats, including orchards and gardens.
Lifecycle:
The eggs are dark green, and laid singly on leaves of Ruellia, Justicia or Blechum, all members of the Acanthaceae. Females tend to patrol back and forth along a limited stretch of habitat, dotting their eggs about fairly randomly.
The fully grown caterpillar is dark olive in colour, with a series of whorled spikes along the back and sides. Those on the back are reddish.
The chrysalis is pale green, with the thorax and abdomen covered in minute black dots, and is suspended by the long cremaster from stems of the foodplant.
Adult behaviour:
The adults nectar at Lantana and other flowers, and also feed at fallen fruit, carrion and dung. I have seen groups of Malachites feeding on decaying fallen mangos in Costa Rica, and imbibing from gravel and tarmac roads in Peru and the Venezuelan Andes. They are usually seen flying in open sunlit areas, but I have on several occasions found them roosting beneath leaves deep in primary forest.
For more INFO: (Siproeta stelenes)
