Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Genus: Melete
Specific name: Melete lycimnia
Introduction:
The Pieridae is divided into 3 subfamilies. The Dismorphiinae, with a very small number of exceptions, is entirely neotropical in distribution. The Coliadinae ( Sulphurs and Yellows ) and Pierinae ( Whites and Orange tips ) however have worldwide distribution.
There are 217 members of the Pierinae in the neotropical region. These include familiar Holarctic
( Eurasian and North American ) genera such as Pieris, Pontia and Anthocharis, and others such as Pereute, Catasticta and Melete which are found only in Central and South America.
The genus Melete contains 6 species, characterised by having a black bar at the end of the forewing discal cell, a black fw apex, and in most species a dark border to the hind-wings. Apart from these markings the wings are usually a unicolorous yellow or white.
Melete lycimnia occurs in several geographical forms. On the underside, subspecies peruviana has a white ground colour, narrow black borders, and a yellow spot at the base of the hindwings. At the other extreme the nominate subspecies lycimnia has the underside hindwings primrose yellow, with wide brown borders. In all subspecies the females are more yellowish in colouration than the males
Habitats:
This is a lowland rainforest species, occurring at elevations between sea level and about 800m.
Adult behaviour:
Males are a regular sight along forest edge habitats on the banks of rivers, and at roadsides, where they gather to imbibe mineral-laden moisture from sand or mud. They often congregate in dense clusters of 50 or more butterflies, packed very tightly together, which erupt nervously into flight if disturbed.
Females are not in my experience seen in such open situations, staying instead in the forest interior. They do not visit flowers in the understorey, or along forest roads, so presumably feed at the nectar of arboreal flowers. Their flight is direct and fairly rapid, interrupted by long periods at rest on foliage in the sub canopy.
