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.
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.
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
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.
Kingdom: Animalia
Division: Arthropoda
Subdivision: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Infraclass: Palaeoptera
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Anisoptera
Family: Libellulidae
Genus: Dythemis
Species: Dythemis multipunctata
Phylum: Arthropoda - Arthropods
Class: Insecta - Insects
Order: Odonata - Dragonflies and Damselflies
Suborder: Anisoptera - Dragonflies
Family: Libellulidae - Skimmers
Genus: Erythrodiplax - Dragonlets
Species: umbrata - (Band-winged Dragonlet)
Habitat: Ponds and marshes, especially temporary ponds.
Description: Mature males distinctive, with slender body and black bands on wings.
Length 38-47 mm.
Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ArthropodaClass: InsectaOrder: OdonataFamily: LibellulidaeGenus: ErythemisSpecies: E. vesiculosa
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Scientific name: Nica flavilla canthara (Doubleday, 1849)
Habitat: Bordes de bosque, claros, secundarios y márgenes de quebradas.
Ciclo de vida:
Huevos: de color blanco, truncados en el ápice, puestos solitarios en hojas maduras.
Larva en quinto estadio: cápsula de la cabeza marrón con zonas anaranjadas en la frente y los lados. Cuernos espiralados de color marrón con espinas. Cuerpo de color verde, con líneas laterales de color marrón bordeadas por encima de una línea rosada, en el dorso un par de rosetas de espinas por segmento. Las espinas del tórax son más robustas que las demás. En el dorso hay tres franjas transversas de color marrón.
Pupa: de color verde, salpicada de marrón.
Planta hospedera: Serjania sp. (Sapindaceae).
Descripción:
Amplitud alar: de 18 a 23 mm. Sexos similares.
Ala anterior de color anaranjado con ápice de color café oscuro con un punto anaranjado en el centro. Ala posterior de color anaranjado, con dos puntos de color negro en el torno.
Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ArthropodaClass: InsectaOrder: LepidopteraFamily: NymphalidaeTribe: HeliconiiniSubtribe: HeliconiitiGenus: Agraulis (Boisduval & Le Conte, 1835)Species: A. vanillaeBinomial name: Agraulis vanillae (Linnaeus, 1758)
Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ArthropodaClass: InsectaOrder: LepidopteraSuborder: DitrysiaSuperfamily: PapilionoideaFamily: PieridaeSubfamily: DismorphiinaeGenus: Dismorphia - Hübner, 1816Species: amphioneSub species: astynomides (Rober 1909)
