JLinaresP: noviembre 2011

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.