Pedaliodes manis ivica Viloria & Pyrcz 2010

Familia: Nymphalidae
Subfamilia: Satyrinae
Tribus: Satyrini
Subtribus: Pronophilina
Genus: Pedaliodes
Species: Pedaliodes manis ivica

Athis axaqua (González & Fernández Yépez, 1992)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Castniidae
Genus: Athis
Species: A. axaqua
Binomial name: Athis axaqua (González & Fernández Yépez, 1992)

Athis axaqua is a moth in the Castniidae family. It is found from north-central to south-western of Venezuela and might reach south-eastern Colombia.

The length of the forewings is 40-46 mm. The forewings are light brown dorsally with lighter areas that accent a darker wing base and a faint Y-shaped band that extends from the costal margin, in the sub apical area, but becomes wider again toward to the anal margin. There is a dark, rounded spot on the apex of the discal cell toward the costal margin. Two to three hyaline, rounded spots are found in the sub apical area. The hindwings are brown-orange, but darker toward the base and lighter toward the center and yellowish toward the costal and anal margins

Cunizza hirlanda STOLL, 1790

Hirlanda White
Cunizza hirlanda STOLL, 1790
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily - PIERINAE
tribe - ANTHOCHARIDINI

Introduction


In the neotropical region there are a total of 192 representatives of the subfamily Pierinae.


There are 5 genera within the tribe Anthocharidini which occur in the neotropics - Mathania and Eroessa being found only in the Andes, while Euchloe and Anthocharis also have many members in the Holarctic region, including the Dappled Whites and Orange tips of Europe.


The remaining genus, Cunizza, comprises of a single species - hirlanda, which has 9 recognised subspecies, found variously in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia. Subspecies ninguida is confined to Peru.


Habitats


This species is found in the forested foothills of the eastern Andes, and the lowlands of the upper Amazon basin, at altitudes between about 400-1000m.

Adult behaviour




The male is usually encountered singly in the vicinity of streams and waterfalls. In common with the males of many other butterflies of all families, they obtain their sustenance by imbibing mineralised moisture, rather than from nectar. The female is seen less often, usually when visiting flowers, or flying in search of egg-laying sites.

Rekoa meton (CRAMER, 1779)

Rekoa meton CRAMER, 1779
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily - THECLINAE
Tribe - EUMAEINI


Introduction


All neotropical Hairstreak species are placed in the tribe Eumaeini. Until recently the taxonomy of this tribe was chaotic, with a high percentage of the species unstudied, and inappropriately filed away in the Old World genus Thecla. In 2004 Lamas published a checklist of neotropical butterflies, which included a revision of the Eumaeini by Robbins, in which the 1,058 currently known species are partitioned into 83 genera. All species previously placed in Thecla have now been reassigned to other genera, or designated to newly erected genera. The original genus Thecla is now used only for the Brown Hairstreak Thecla betulae of Europe, and it's Chinese cousins T. betulina and T. elwesi.


The genus Rekoa comprises of 7 species, all neotropical in distribution. Four of these species, i.e. marius, stagira, zebina and bourkei are "typical" hairstreaks - their undersides are plain brown in colour, marked with red tornal spots on the hindwings, and possessing the hairline streak that gives these butterflies their common generic name. Two of the others, i.e. palegon and malina, have a series of suffused dark lines on the undersides, but the striking tiger stripes and false "eye" on the hindwings of meton are unique.


Rekoa meton is distributed from Mexico to Paraguay.


Habitats


This species is found in tropical and subtropical forest-edge habitats at altitudes between about 200-800m.


Adult behaviour



The butterflies are normally seen singly. Males can be found perched on foliage or dead flower heads, presumably using these outposts as perching places from which to survey passing females. They are also sometimes seen imbibing moisture from the ground.

Arsenura armida (Cramer, 1779)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Saturniidae
Genus: Arsenura
Species: A. armida
Binomial name: Arsenura armida (Cramer, 1779)

Monkey Lizard - Polychrus marmoratus (Linneo, 1758)

Reino: Animalia
Filo: Chordata
Clase: Sauropsida
Orden: Squamata
Suborden: Lacertilia
Familia: Polychrotidae
Género: Polychrus
Species: marmoratus (Linneo, 1758)

Satyrus Skipper - Timochreon satyrus Felder 1867

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Family: Hesperiidae
Genus: Timochreon
Species: satyrus

Sais rosalia (Cramer 1782)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Nymphalidae
Tribe: Ithomiini
Genus: Sais
Species: Rosalia

Strymon istapa (Reakirt ,1867)

Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class: Insecta (Insects)
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily: Papilionoidea (Butterflies (excluding skippers))
Family: Lycaenidae (Blues, Coppers, Hairstreaks, Harvesters)
Subfamily: Theclinae (Hairstreaks)
Genus: Strymon
Species: istapa (Mallow Scrub Hairstreak)

 


Other Common Names:
Modest Hairstreak
Columella Hairstreak

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes:
Strymon columella modesta

Identification:
Underwing gray with 2 black spots near base of HW, prominent postmedian band, and short tails. Male has a dark patch on dorsal side of each FW. Florida individuals more boldly marked than ones in Texas. Compare with Disguised Hairstreak (S. limenia).

Hypna clytemnestra (CRAMER, 1777)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Genus: Hypna
Species: clytemnestra
Binomial name: Hypna clytemnestra (CRAMER, 1777)

 


Introduction:
The genus Hypna contains just this only species!

The upperside is black, with broad creamy white bands across the forewings. Like most members of the Charaxinae, it has a cryptic underside pattern, resembling a dead withered leaf.

Hypna clytemnestra occurs from Mexico to Argentina.

Habitats:
This species is found in the Amazonian lowlands and Andean foothills, at altitudes between about 100-1200m.

Lifecycle:
The eggs are globular, and laid singly on the foliage of Croton ( Euphorbiaceae ).

The fully grown caterpillar is pale brown, with a prominent thoracic hump, and has reddish tubercules along the back, from which long black setae arise.

Adult behaviour
The butterfly is uncommon, and always encountered singly. It appears to spend most of it's life high in the trees, and can usually only be observed from a distance through binoculars. Occasionally a butterfly will descend however, attracted by rotting fruit or sap runs, and at such times it often first settles on nearby foliage.

Dryas iulia (Fabricius, 1775)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Tribe: Heliconiini
Genus: Dryas - Hübner, [1807]
Species: Dryas iulia (Fabricius, 1775)

Scientific name: Actinote anteas (Doubleday, [1847])

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Sub-family: Heliconiinae
Scientific name: Actinote anteas (Doubleday, [1847])

Diaethria neglecta (Salvin, 1869)

Kingdom: ANIMALIA
Phylum: ARTHROPODA
Class: INSECTA
Order: LEPIDOPTERA
Suborder: DITRYSIA
Superfamily: PAPILIONOIDEA
Family: NYMPHALIDAE
Subfamily: BIBLIDINAE
Tribe: CALLICORINI
Genus: DIAETHRIA
Scientific name: Diaethria neglecta (Salvin, 1869)

 
Lifecycle: The eggs, in common with those of other Diaethria species, are whitish, and laid singly on the leaves of the foodplant.

The caterpillar is green, with a slightly roughened texture, and bears a pair of short spikes on the anal segment. The head bears a pair of very long whorled spikes which are pointed forward. The caterpillar rests on the upper surface of a leaf with the thoracic segments raised and the head pointing downwards.

The chrysalis is suspended by the cremaster from a leaf or stem. It is green, with a dorsal keel, and projecting palpi.

Adult behaviour: Both sexes are attracted to rotting fruit. The males are strongly attracted to urine-soaked sand, and also imbibe dissolved minerals from damp soil, road surfaces and rock faces. They are very active butterflies, easily disturbed, and rarely settle for more than a few seconds at a time in one spot, although they will return repeatedly to the same patch of ground.

They are usually seen in two's or three's, but sometimes congregate in large numbers at favoured spots, often on sandbanks close to jetties, or at riverbanks where laundry is washed.

When not feeding, males will perch on the upper surface of leaves at a height of about 3 metres, awaiting passing females.

Scientific name: Eueides isabella (Stoll, 1781)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae - Brushfooted Butterflies
Subfamily: Heliconiinae - Heliconians and fritillaries
Genus: Eueides
Specific name: isabella
Scientific name: Eueides isabella (Stoll, 1781)

Description: Eggs are cream coloured and approximately 1 x 0.9 mm (h x w). Females usually place 1 to 3 eggs under older and younger leaves of the host plant. Mature larvae have a black body with orange and yellow stripes and white bands, with black and white scoli and head, orange anal cap; length is around 1.7 cm. Caterpillars are gregarious in small numbers (Brown, 1981). Pupae are greenish white with black markings on the wingpads and short spines on dorsum that are tipped black (DeVries, 1997).

Habits: E. isabella occurs from sea level to 1,500 m in secondary forests. Females mate multiply, often on hilltops. Adults roost solitarily at night under leaves (Brown, 1981).

Hostplant: E. isabella larvae feed primarily on plants from the subgenera Distephana and Granadilla (Passifloraceae)(Brown, 1981). In Costa Rica larvae feed on Passiflora platyloba, and P. ambigua (Passifloraceae) (DeVries, 1997).

Distribution: Eueides isabella is widely distributed from Central America to Brazil and also on the Greater Antilles. The map below shows an approximate representation of the geographic distribution of this species.

Binomial name: Leptotes cassius (Cramer, 1775)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
(unranked): Rhopalocera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Lycaenidae (Leach, 1815)
Genus: Leptotes
Species: cassius
Binomial name: Leptotes cassius (Cramer, 1775)







Some information about this butterfly:
Leptotes cassius, commonly known as the Cassius Blue or Tropical Striped Blue, is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in Florida and the Keys, Texas south through the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America to South America. Strays can be found in New Mexico, Kansas, Missouri and South Carolina.

The wingspan is 20–35 mm.

The butterfly species has an important role in Marisha Pessl's 2006 novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics. The protagonist, Blue van Meer, is named in honor of the Cassius Blue.

The caterpillars feed natively on Fabaceae. Foodplants on record are Amorpha crenulata, Woolly Rattlepod (Crotalaria incana), Galactia regularis and Lima Bean (Phaseolus lunatus). It can also successfully develop feeding on Cape Leadwort (Plumbago auriculata) or Doctorbush (P. scandens), which (among the eudicots) are not closely related to its usual foodplants.

Binomial name: Doa raspa (Druce, 1894)

Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Doidae
Genus: Doa
Species: D. raspa
Binomial name: Doa raspa (Druce, 1894)

Nica flavilla Cantha (Doubleday, 1849)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Scientific name: Nica flavilla Cantha (Doubleday, 1849)

Habitat: forest edges, clearings, secondary and margins of streams.

Life cycle:
Eggs: white, truncated at the apex, solitary positions in mature leaves.
Larva: head capsule brown with orange areas on the front and sides. Brown spiral horns with thorns. Green body with brown lateral lines lined up a pink line on the back a couple of rosettes of spines per segment. The spines of the thorax are more robust than others. On the back there are three transverse brown stripes.
Pupa: green, dotted with brown.

Host plant: Serjania sp. (Sapindaceae).

Description: Wing Size: 18 to 23 mm. Sexes similar.
Orange forewing with apex dark brown with an orange dot in the center. Hind wing orange, with two black dots.

Tegosa claudina (Escholtz, 1821)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Genus: Tegosa
Species: claudina

Vanessa myrinna (Doubleday, 1849)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Tribe: Nymphalini
Genus: Vanessa (Fabricius, 1807)
Species: myrinna
Binomial name: Vanessa myrinna (Doubleday, 1849)

Hypothyris antea (Hewitson)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Genus: Hypothyris (Hübner, 1821)
Species: antea
Binomial name: Hypothyris antea (Hewitson)

Waiter Daggerwing - Marpesia zerynthia (Hübner, 1823)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Genus: Marpesia
Species: zerynthia
Binomial name: Marpesia zerynthia (Hübner, 1823)

Introduction:
Marpesia butterflies are similar in wing shape to Swordtails and Swallowtails ( Papilionidae ), but are easily distinguished from them by their straight, clubbed antennae - Papilionids have tapered clubs and are recurved at the tip.

Most of the 17 Marpesia species have the same characteristic wing shape as zerynthia, the exception being petreus, which has 2 tails on each hindwing, and deeply scalloped forewings.

The genus is confined to the neotropical region, but is closely allied to the Afro-Oriental genus Cyrestis.

Marpesia zerynthia ( formerly known as coresia ) cannot be confused with any other species.

This species occurs from Texas to Bolivia.

Habitats:
Marpesia zerynthia is primarily a cloudforest species, and is most abundant at elevations of about 900-1700m.

Lifecycle:
The eggs are white or yellowish, and laid singly on the foliage of trees and shrubs in the family Moraceae - including Ficus, Chlorophora, Brosimum and Artocarpus.

The fully grown caterpillars are very colourful, typically marked with red and / or yellow spots and stripes. There is a single row of unbranched, recurved spines along the back, and the head is adorned with a pair of very long wavy spines. They feed diurnally and rest on the upper surface of leaves.

The pupae are typically pale in colour, marked with blackish spots or blotches, and have wiry filaments projecting from the back of the abdomen and from the head.

Adult behaviour
This species is almost always encountered as small groups of about 6-12 males, visiting wet sand or mud to imbibe mineral-laden moisture. They particularly favour feeding at shallow fords on unmetalled mountain roads.



In hot weather they jostle constantly for position, and feed with their wings erect or partly open. In cooler or shady conditions they feed with wings outspread, displaying the subtle deep maroon hues of the upperside.

Are very elusive, spending most of their lives in the forest canopy, but in overcast weather will sometimes descend to settle on foliage along forest trails.

Pink-banded Sister - Adelpha lycorias (GODART, 1824)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Genus: Adelpha
Species: lycorias
Binomial name: Adelpha lycorias (GODART, 1824)

Introduction

The majority of Adelpha species are similarly marked with bands of white, and orange markings in the subapical area. Adelpha lycorias is unique in having broad pink diagonal bands across the forewings, although there are several other orange-banded species with a similar pattern, including salmoneus and boreas.

Adelpha lycorias occurs from Mexico to Paraguay, and also in the Atlantic cloudforests of Brazil.

Habitats

This species is found at elevations between sea level and about 2500m but is commonest in cloudforest habitats between 800-1800m.

Lifecycle

The eggs are white or pale green, and laid singly on the foliage of the foodplants.

The fully grown larva is pale brown, marked on the thoracic segments with a pale saddle adorned with eight prominent whorled spikes. A series of shorter spikes run along the back, and the lateral areas are adorned with small bristles. The larvae feed on Trema ( Ulmaceae ) in deciduous forest, Urera and Myriocarpa ( Urticaceae ) in lowland rainforest, and Cecropia ( Moraceae ) in premontane cloudforest. They habitually rest on the upper surface of the leaves, adopting an "S" posture.

The pupa, which is suspended by the cremaster from a twig, is dark brown with bronze wing cases. It is smooth, but oddly shaped, with an enormous "jug handle" on the thorax.

Adult behaviour

This species has a slower and more graceful flight than the white-and-orange banded Adelpha species. Males often glide in circles at knee-height, alighting for a moment here and there on damp soil to imbibe moisture.

Both sexes feed at rotting fruit, either in the canopy or on the forest floor.

Perrhybris pyrrha (Cramer 1775)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Ditrysia
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Pieridae - Duponchel, 1835
Genus: Perrhybris
Specific name: pyrrha - Cramer 1775
Scientific name: - Perrhybris pyrrha Cramer 1775

Wattled Jacana - Gallito lagunero (Jacana jacana) - Linnaeus, 1766

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Jacanidae
Genus: Jacana
Species: J. jacana
Binomial name: Jacana jacana (Linnaeus, 1766)

Some information:

General:The Wattled Jacana Jacana jacana is a wader which is a resident breeder from western Panama and Trinidad south through most of South America east of the Andes.

The jacanas are a group of wetland birds, which are identifiable by their huge feet and claws that enable them to walk on floating vegetation in the shallow lakes that are their preferred habitat. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone.

The Wattled Jacana lays four black-marked brown eggs in a floating nest. The male, as with other jacanas and some other wader families like the phalaropes, takes responsibility for incubation, with two eggs held between each wing and the breast. The females are polyandrous, and will help to defend the nests of up to four mates.

These are conspicuous and unmistakable birds. They are 17-23 cm long, but the females are larger than the males. The adults have a chestnut back and wing coverts, with the rest of the body mainly black. In flight the greenish yellow flight feathers are obvious. The yellow bill extends up as a red coot-like head shield and a reddish wattle, and the legs and very long toes are dull blue-grey. There is a long sharp spur on the bend of the wing.

Young birds initially have entirely white underparts, and can always be identified by the presence of white in their plumage.

There are six races, with the nominate J. j. jacana being the most widespread. Several of the other subspecies are similar, but J. j. hypomelaena of western Panama and northern Colombia has all the chestnut plumage replaced by black, and J. j. scapularis of western Ecuador has some black feathers on its chestnut shoulders, and white outer primary feathers.

This species produces a range of noisy rattling calls.

The Wattled Jacana's food is insects, other invertebrates and seeds picked from the floating vegetation or the water’s surface.

Yellow crab spider (Misumenoides formosipes)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Thomisidae
Genus: Misumenoides
Species: M. formosipes
Binomial name: Misumenoides formosipes (Walckenaer, 1837)

Some information:

General:This species is a sit-and-wait predator that captures pollinators as they visit the inflorescences on which the spider sits. The spider has strong front legs which are used to seize prey. The female spider is much larger than the male. The length of females is 5.0–11.3 millimetres (0.20–0.44 in) and the length of males is 2.5–3.2 mm (0.10–0.13 in). The pattern of markings on females is variable and the overall color of the body can change between white and yellow dependent on the color of their surroundings. The color pattern for males, which does not change in their lifetime, differs from females in that the four front legs of males are dark brown and the abdomen is gold. The spider can be found throughout the United States. Males search for sedentary females within a heterogeneous habitat.

Caligo eurilochus - Owl Butterfly -(Cramer, 1775)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Tribe: Brassolini
Genus: Caligo
Species: C. eurilochus
Binomial name: Caligo eurilochus (Cramer, 1775)

General information: Caligo eurilochus is an owl butterfly (tribe Brassolini of nymphalid subfamily Morphinae, ranging from Mexico, through Central America, to the Amazon River basin in South America. The type locality is Suriname. Several subspecies are recognized, but many more have been proposed. The larvae feed on several hostplants, including Calathea latifolia (Marantaceae), Heychium sp. (Zingiberaceae), Heliconia latispatha (Heliconiaceae), and Musa spp. (Musaceae). The larva also feed on the fruit of most Musa species. The female lays a large number of eggs of one of the host plants and the small larvae hatch after about 3-5 days. Fertile eggs develop a grey ring just above the center. Infertile eggs collapse. The first instar of the larvae are white with 2 orange/brown stripes down the length of their body leading to two little spindles at the end. Later on in life the larvae develop hairs mimicking spines and a crown made of four horns at the back of their head. The larvae then find a high enough spot to pupate and begin the change of metamorphosis. The large owl butterfly emerges and begins to pump out its wings, later searching for food. the butterflies drink the juices of fermenting fruits and a wide variety of nectar plants.

Consul fabius cecrops (Doubleday, 1849)- Tiger striped Leafwing

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Consul
Species: fabius

Size Wingspan: 30 to 40 mm. Sexes similar.

Identification: At the apex of the forewing is a light yellow stain. The costal margin above the discal area and even the marginal area is a yellow transverse band. Basal area including part of discal cell and up to around an orange stripe. The apex of the wing is falcate. Hind wing orange, with the distal margin below the apex, dark brown with four yellow spots.

Range: Mexico to Bolivia

Southern Dogface, Colias cesonia - (Stoll, 1790)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Genus: Colias
Species: C. cesonia
Binomial name: Colias cesonia (Stoll, 1790)

General: The Southern Dogface, Colias cesonia, is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae, subfamily Coliadinae (sometimes it is placed in the related genus Zerene instead of Colias).

The upper side of the pointed fore wings have a dogface pattern. The wings are mainly yellow with black borders. The under side of the wings is mostly yellow with a black eyespot on the fore wing and two white spots on the hind wing.

This butterfly can be found in short-grass prairie hills, open woodlands, and near road edges. Both male and female Southern Dogfaces may be seen feeding at flowers such as Alfalfa, Coreopsis sp., Houstonia sp., and Verbena sp.. Males are also fond of puddling. Its host plants include Lead Plant Amorpha canescens, False Indigo Amorpha fruticosa, Soy Bean Glycine max, Alfalfa Medicago sativa, Black Dalea Dalea frutescens, Purple Prairie Clover Dalea purpurea, and clover Trifolium sp.. Males patrol areas for females. The male is the active flight partner. The green-white eggs are laid on the underside of the host plant leaves. The larva is green with a white stripe running down each side of its body. The green chrysalis hangs up right with a silken girdle around itself.

Soldier-grasshopper or "Brasileirinho", Chromacris speciosa - (Thunberg, 1824)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Family: Romaleidae
Genus: Chromacris
Species: C. speciosa
Binomial name: Chromacris speciosa (Thunberg, 1824)

General: The grasshopper-soldier (Chromacris speciosa) is a grasshopper widely distributed in Brazil. The adults of these insects have green and yellow coloration, and the nymphs are black with red welt.

The Chromacris speciosa is also known in Brazil as “gafanhoto-soldado”, soldier-grasshopper, and it also has the nickname “brasileirinho”, little brazilian boy, because of it’s colors. It the nation’s colors!

The brasileirinho is in the Romaleida family, and the interesting thing is that they begin life looking very different. When they are nymphs, they are black with bright red stripes, which is also a very interesting combination to look at. The reason why they have the bright red markings when they are little is to keep predators away.

Owlfly - Genus: Ululodes (Currie 1889)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Neuroptera (Antlions, Lacewings and Allies)
Family: Ascalaphidae (Owlflies)
Genus: Ululodes

General: Owlflies are dragonfly-like insects with large bulging eyes and long knobbed antennae. They are neuropterans in the family Ascalaphidae; they are only distantly related to the true flies, and even more distant from the dragonflies and damselflies. They are diurnal or crepuscular predators of other flying insects, and are typically 5 cm (2.0 in) long.

Owlflies are readily distinguished from dragonflies because the latter have short bristle-like antennae. The closely related antlions (family Myrmeleontidae) have short, clubbed antennae, smaller eyes, and very different wing venation. The sole living member of the subfamily Albardiinae, the Brazilian Albardia furcata, also has short, clubbed antennae, but its typical reticulate ascalaphid wing venation demonstrates its actual

Pareuptychia ocirrhoe (Fabricius 1777)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
(unranked): Rhopalocera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Satyrinae
Tribe: Satyrini
Genus: Pareuptychia
Species: ocirrhoe

Anartia amathea (Linnaeus, 1758) Scarlet Peacock

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Anartia
Species: A. amathea
Binomial name: Anartia amathea (Linnaeus, 1758)

General: The Brown Peacock or Scarlet Peacock (Anartia amathea) is a species of nymphalid butterfly, found primarily in South America. The type locality is probably Surinam, and the species is found from Panama to Argentina; Grenada, Barbados, Antigua. It is reported as common in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, the Brazilian highlands, the eastern Amazon, the Guianas, Venezuela, and Panama, as well as Trinidad and other Caribbean islands. North American records are either in error or refer to strays.

Larval host plants are mostly undetermined, but these include the families Acanthaceae and Labiatae.

Junonia lavinia - Cramer 1775 (Lavinia Buckeye)

Phylum: Arthropoda
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Genus: Junonia
Specific name: lavinia - Cramer 1775
Scientific name: - Junonia lavinia Cramer 1775

Danaus plexippus - Linnaeus, 1758 (Monarch Butterfly)

Filo: Arthropoda
Clase: Insecta
Orden: Lepidoptera
Familia: Nymphalidae
Subfamilia: Danainae
Tribu: Danaini
Subtribu: Danaina
Género: Danaus -Kluk, 1802
Especie: D. plexippus
Nombre binomial: Danaus plexippus - Linnaeus, 1758

Common name: Monarch

Description: The Monarch’s wingspan ranges from 8.9–10.2 cm (3½–4 in.). The upper side of the wings is tawny-orange, the veins and margins are black, and in the margins are two series of small white spots. The fore wings also have a few orange spots near the tip. The underside is similar but the tip of the fore wing and hind wing are yellow-brown instead of tawny-orange and the white spots are larger.

The male has a black patch of androconial scales responsible for dispersing pheromones on the hind wings, and the black veins on its wing are narrower than the female’s. The male is also slightly larger.

A color variation has been observed in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and the United States as early as the late 19th century. Named nivosus by Lepidopterists, it is grayish white in all areas of the wings that are normally orange. Generally it is only about 1% or less of all monarchs, but has maintained populations as high as 10% on Oahu in Hawaii, possibly due to selective predation.

Like all insects the Monarch has six legs, however it uses only four of its legs as it carries its two front legs against its body.

The eggs are creamy white and later turn pale yellow. They are elongate and subconical, with approximately 23 longitudinal ridges and many fine traverse lines.[13] A single egg weighs about 0.46 milligrams (0.0071 gr), and measures about 1.2 millimetres (47 mils) high and 0.9 millimetres (35 mils) wide.

The caterpillar is banded with yellow, black, and white stripes. The head is also striped with yellow and black. There are two pairs of black filaments, one pair on each end of the body. The caterpillar will reach a length of 5 cm (2 in).

The chrysalis is blue-green with a band of black and gold on the end of the abdomen. There are other gold spots on the thorax, the wing bases, and the eyes.

Distribution: In North America, the Monarch ranges from southern Canada to northern South America. It rarely strays to western Europe (rarely as far as Greece) from being transported by U. S. ships or by flying there if weather and wind conditions are right. It has also been found in Bermuda, Hawaii, the Solomons, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea, Ceylon, India, the Azores, and the Canary Islands.

Migration: Monarchs are especially noted for their lengthy annual migration. In North America they make massive southward migrations starting in August until the first frost. A northward migration takes place in the spring. The monarch is the only butterfly that migrates both north and south as the birds do on a regular basis. But no single individual makes the entire round trip. Female monarchs deposit eggs for the next generation during these migrations.

By the end of October, the population east of the Rocky Mountains migrates to the sanctuaries of the Mariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve within the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests in the Mexican states of Michoacán and México. The western population overwinters in various sites in central coastal and southern California, United States, notably in Pacific Grove and Santa Cruz.

The length of these journeys exceeds the normal lifespan of most monarchs, which is less than two months for butterflies born in early summer. The last generation of the summer enters into a non-reproductive phase known as diapause and may live seven months or more. During diapause, butterflies fly to one of many overwintering sites. The generation that overwinters generally does not reproduce until it leaves the overwintering site sometime in February and March.

It is thought that the overwinter population of those east of the Rockies may reach as far north as Texas and Oklahoma during the spring migration. It is the second, third and fourth generations that return to their northern locations in the United States and Canada in the spring. How the species manages to return to the same overwintering spots over a gap of several generations is still a subject of research; the flight patterns appear to be inherited, based on a combination of the position of the sun in the sky and a time-compensated Sun compass that depends upon a circadian clock that is based in their antennae. New research has also shown that Monarch butterflies can use the earth's magnetic field for orientation. The antennae contain cryptochrome a photoreceptor protein that is sensitive to the violet-blue part of the spectrum. In the presence of violet or blue light it can function as a chemical compass, which tells the animal if it is aligned with the earths magnetic field, but it is unable to tell the difference between the magnetic North or South. The complete magnetical sense is present in a single antenna.

Monarch butterflies are one of the few insects capable of making trans-Atlantic crossings. They are becoming more common in Bermuda due to increased usage of milkweed as an ornamental plant in flower gardens. Monarch butterflies born in Bermuda remain year round due to the island's mild climate. A few monarchs turn up in the far southwest of Great Britain in years when the wind conditions are right, and have been sighted as far east as Long Bennington. In Australia, Monarchs make limited migrations in cooler areas, but the Blue Tiger butterfly is better known in Australia for its lengthy migration. Monarchs can also be found in New Zealand. On the islands of Hawaii no migrations have been noted.

Monarch butterflies are poisonous or distasteful to birds and mammals because of the presence of cardiac glycosides that are contained in milkweed consumed by the larva. It is thought that the bright colors of larvae and adults function as warning colors. During hibernation monarch butterflies sometimes suffer losses because hungry birds pick through them looking for the butterflies with the least amount of poison, but in the process killing those that they reject.

A recent study examined wing colors of migrating monarchs using computer image analysis and found migrants had darker orange (reddish colored) wings than breeding monarch.

Tettigoniidae Sp. (Katydids)

Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class: Insecta (Insects)
Order: Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids)
Suborder: Ensifera (Long-horned Orthoptera)
Family: Tettigoniidae (Katydids)
Subfamily: (?)
Genus: (?)
Specific name: (?)

Explanation of Names: Author of family is Krauss, 1902 - from Greek τεττιξ (τεττιγ-) 'cicada'

Numbers: 243 spp. in 49 genera in our area.

Sizes: 10 to 60 mm or more

Identification: Wings held vertically over body, resembling roof of a house antennae very long, often extending well beyond tip of abdomen
all tarsi with 4 segments (formula 4-4-4), compare crickets (3-3-3), tympana (hearing organs) on front tibiae, ovipositor typically flattened and sword-like.

Food: Most species eat vegetation, some are predatory on other insects.

Mallow Scrub-Hairstreak - Strymon istapa (Reakirt ,1867)

Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class: Insecta (Insects)
Order: Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily: Papilionoidea (Butterflies (excluding skippers))
Family: Lycaenidae (Blues, Coppers, Hairstreaks, Harvesters)
Subfamily: Theclinae (Hairstreaks)
Genus: Strymon
Species: istapa (Mallow Scrub Hairstreak)

Other Common Names:
Modest Hairstreak
Columella Hairstreak

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes:
Strymon columella modesta

Identification:
Underwing gray with 2 black spots near base of HW, prominent postmedian band, and short tails. Male has a dark patch on dorsal side of each FW. Florida individuals more boldly marked than ones in Texas. Compare with Disguised Hairstreak (S. limenia).

Great Southern White (Ascia monuste) (Linnaeus, 1764)

ingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Subfamily: Pierinae
Genus: Ascia
Species: A. monuste
Binomial name: Ascia monuste (Linnaeus, 1764)

The Great Southern White (Ascia monuste) is a species of butterfly of the Pieridae family in which the sexes differ in that the female can be either light or dark colored. It is found from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, south through tropical America to Argentina. Migratory along the south-eastern coast of the United States, with strays to Maryland, Kansas and Colorado.

The wingspan is 63-86 mm. Adults are on wing all year round in southern Texas, peninsular Florida and along the Gulf Coast.

Ascia monuste is an example of a migrating species which moves in one direction within its life-span and does not return. It breeds in Florida but sometimes migrates along the coast up to 160 kilometers to breed in more suitable areas.

The larvae feed on Brassicaceae (including Cakile maritima, cultivated cabbage and radish and Lepidium species) and plants in the Capparidaceae family, including nasturtium. Adults feed on nectar from various flowers including saltwort, lantana and verbena. It is a sporadic pest of crucifer vegetables in southern Texas.

Mexican Fritillary - Euptoieta hegesia (Cramer, 1779)

Kingdom: Animalia
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Euptoieta
Species: E. hegesia
Binomial name: Euptoieta hegesia (Cramer, 1779)

Description: The upper side of the wings is bright orange with the basal part of the hind wing unmarked. There is a row of submarginal black spots on both the fore wing and the hind wing. The underside of the wings is yellow-orange with no submarginal black spots. It has a wingspan of 2.5 to 3 inches.

Strymon albata (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
(unranked): Rhopalocera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Lycaenidae (Leach, 1815)
Genus: Strymon
Species: albata (C. Felder & R. Felder, 1865)

Some information about this family:
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 40% of the known butterfly species.

The family is traditionally divided into the subfamilies of the blues (Polyommatinae), the coppers (Lycaeninae), the hairstreaks (Theclinae) and the harvesters (Miletinae); others include the Lipteninae, Liphyrinae, Curetinae and Poritiinae. A few authorities still include the family Riodinidae within the Lycaenidae. The monotypic former subfamily Styginae represented by Styx infernalis from the Peruvian Andes has been placed within the subfamily Euselasiinae of the family Riodinidae.

Adults are small, under 5 cm usually, and brightly coloured, sometimes with a metallic gloss. The male's forelegs are reduced in size and lack claws.

Larvae are often flattened rather than cylindrical, with glands that may produce secretions that attract and subdue ants. Their cuticles tend to be thickened. Some larva are capable of producing vibrations and low sounds that are transmitted through the substrates they inhabit. They use these sounds to communicate with ants.

Adult individuals often have hairy antenna-like tails complete with black and white annulated appearance. Many species also have a spot at the base of the tail and some turn around upon landing to confuse potential predators from recognizing the true head orientation. This causes predators to approach from the true head end resulting in early visual detection.

Sesostris Cattle-heart, Parides sesostris (CRAMER, 1779)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Papilionidae
Tribe: Troidini
Genus: Parides
Species: P. sesostris
Binomial name: Parides sesostris (Cramer, 1779)

Introduction: Parides, and the related genera Battus and Euryades are not true Swallowtails, but are members of the Troidini, the same tribe to which the giant Ornithoptera Birdwings of Papua New Guinea belong.

There are 34 members of the genus Parides, all of which are confined to tropical and sub-tropical areas of Central and South America. They are characterised by having elongated blackish forewings, marked on the males of most species with brilliant patches of turquoise or lime green, and on the females with cream. The hindwings in most species are marked with bright pink patches, and are generally rounded and without tails, but with a scalloped outer margin.

There are exceptions to these general rules, e.g. Parides hahneli which has a series of broad transparent bands across the forewings, and long tails on the hindwings. Another exception is Parides quadratus which has black forewings and large golden patches on the hindwings, and is very reminiscent of the Troides Birdwings of tropical Asia.

Parides sesostris is a common species found from Mexico to Bolivia.

Habitats: This species occurs primarily in primary rainforest, at altitudes between sea level and about 1200m. There are small populations on the western slopes of the Andes, but it is much more frequent on the eastern slopes and in the Amazon basin.

Lifecycle: The eggs are globular, and laid singly on the leaves of young Aristolochia plants.

The caterpillar when fully grown is mottled in dull ochreous with blackish spotting. The tubercles are dark reddish brown, except those on segments 8 and 11, which are white.

The pupa is bright lime green, flushed with pale yellow on the wing cases.

Adult behaviour: The butterflies are usually encountered along forest edges, and where light gaps occur at the intersections of trails. Both sexes visit flowers on sunny mornings, and males occasionally mud-puddle on riverbanks, but most sightings are of males in flight or basking on foliage.

Siproeta epaphus - LATREILLE, 1813

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
(unranked): Rhopalocera
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Tribe: Victorinini
Genus: Siproeta
Species: S. stelenes
Binomial name: Siproeta epaphus - LATREILLE, 1813

Introduction: The Kallimini includes some of the most colourful and instantly recognisable species in the world. Amongst them the African genera Precis ( Pansies ) and Salamis ( Mother of Pearl butterflies ), and the Asian Kallima ( Dead Leaf 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.

Siproeta epaphus occurs throughout Central America from Mexico to Panama, and in South America occurs in Venezuela, Trinidad, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.

Habitats: This species is scarce in lowland areas, but commonly seen in two's and three's in disturbed habitats at elevations between 400-2000 metres, favouring forest edges, roadsides, cattle pastures, and well vegetated riverbanks.

Lifecycle: The eggs are dark green with yellow ribs, and laid in small clusters on the leaves of the foodplant.

The fully grown larva is maroon, adorned with orange branched spikes along the back and sides. The head is black with a pair of backward-curving horns. The larvae feed on the foliage of Ruellia or Blechum ( Acanthaceae ).

The chrysalis is pale green, with the thorax and abdomen covered in minute black dots, and is suspended by the cremaster from stems of the foodplant.

Adult behaviour: The butterflies are usually encountered in two's and three's, flying on sunny mornings in open situations, but can also be found in hazy or misty conditions, basking on foliage or bare ground.

They have a rapid fluttering and gliding flight, and commonly visit flowers in pastures, along forest edges, and along roadsides. Males often imbibe mineralised moisture from damp roads, muddy riverbanks, scree or rock faces, and at such times usually hold their wings half-open while flitting gently from spot to spot.

"Primrose Flag" - Melete lycimnia - CRAMER, 1777

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.

Siproeta stelenes (Linnaeus, 1758)

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 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.

Danaus plexippus - Linnaeus, 1758 (Monarca)

Reino: Animalia
Filo: Arthropoda
Clase: Insecta
Orden: Lepidoptera
Familia: Nymphalidae
Subfamilia: Danainae
Tribu: Danaini
Subtribu: Danaina
Género: Danaus -Kluk, 1802
Especie: D. plexippus
Nombre binomial: Danaus plexippus - Linnaeus, 1758

Erythrodiplax fusca (Rambur, 1842)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Infraclass: Palaeoptera
Order: Odonata Fabricius, 1793
Suborder: Anisoptera Selys, 1854
Family: Libellulidae
Genus: Erythrodiplax Brauer, 1868
Species: Erythrodiplax fusca (Rambur, 1842)

Common name: Red-faced Dragonfly

Description: Female size 2.3 to 3.2 cm and the male 2.5 to 3.4 cm. The male has dark brown head, red face. Thorax black dorsally, blue laterally greyish. Forewing with a small dark brown spot at the base of the wing, hind wings also have a dark brown spot of greater length. Most of the gray-blue abdomen, last three segments black. Fences whitish. The female has brown eyes, forehead and clypeus brown. Thorax brown. Spotted wings similar to those of male but yellowish brown. Abdomen brown.

The males of this species show territoriality. Perch near the water (15 to 20 cm), if it is sunny are very active and often can be pursued if clouds rest.

Copulation lasts about a minute and occurs on vegetation. Females oviposit alone, but the male flies by her watching. The eggs are laid touching the water with the tip of the abdomen repeatedly.

It lives in ponds and swamps in open areas such as pastures and other disturbed areas. It is a common species.