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Butterflies of
the Amazon rainforest
Erotia Sister
Adelpha erotia
HEWITSON, 1847
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
LIMENITIDINAE
Tribe - LIMENITIDINI
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian
Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part
or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from
Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.
Website designed, produced and owned by
Adrian Hoskins
Erotia Sister
Adelpha erotia, Manu, alt. 550m,
Madre de Dios, Peru
Introduction
Butterflies of the genus
Adelpha
can sometimes be difficult
to identify, as many species have a similar pattern of orange and white bands on
a dark brown ground colour.
Identifying them requires
careful examination of the configuration of the orange markings in the subapical area
of the forewing, and in most cases it is essential to examine the patterning on
the undersides, by which means otherwise very similar species can be
distinguished.
There are currently 84 known species of
Adelpha,
a genus confined to Central and South America, with the exception of one species
A. bredowii
which occurs as far north as California. The genus is very closely related to
Limenitis.
Adelpha erotia
is commonest in Colombia, but it's range extends from Costa Rica to Peru and
Bolivia.
Habitats
This species breeds in wet forest habitats at altitudes between about 400m and
1500m.
Lifecycle
Unknown,
but the following generalisations are applicable to the genus
Adelpha
:
The larval foodplants of
Adelpha
species are diverse, although the majority of
species feed on Rubiaceae, Moraceae, Urticaceae or Ulmaceae.
The
eggs of most species are white or pale green, and laid singly on the foliage of
the foodplants.
The
larvae, which are cryptically coloured, have 2 rows of conspicuous spines along
the back, with those on the first two segments enlarged and directed forward,
while the third pair are directed backward.
The
pupae, which are suspended by the cremaster, are in some species green or brown,
while others are entirely silver, and shiny. The pupae of some species are
decorated with numerous spikes and projections, and sometimes have very
prominent palpi.
Adult behaviour
Adelpha erotia is usually seen singly, or in two's and three's, perching on sunlit foliage in the forest.
Males often visit damp ground to imbibe mineral rich water. They will also settle on rocks, where they exude water from the tip of the abdomen, depositing it on the rock, and then re-imbibing it, and by this method are able to extract dissolved minerals from the rocks.
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