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.