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