Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Amazonicus Beauty
Baeotus aeilus
STOLL, 1780
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
NYMPHALINAE
Tribe - COEINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Baeotus aeilus,
male, Rio
Alto
Madre de Dios, Peru
Introduction
This
species was formerly known as
B. amazonicus.
It is one of 4 members of the genus
Baeotus,
all of which are confined to the neotropics.
The
butterfly is sexually dimorphic - the male upperside being dark brown with a
broad median band of reflective pale blue scales, while the female is banded
with pale orange.
Habitats
Baeotus aeilus
breeds in lowland wet tropical forests at altitudes below about 500m, and
appears to be largely confined to the upper Amazon areas of Brazil, Ecuador and
Peru.
Lifecycle
Unknown. The genus
appears to be very closely related to
Historis,
which suggests that
Moraceae and Urticaceae are probable foodplants.
Adult behaviour
Males are
typically seen in
one's or two's, often in the company of
Baeotus deucalion or B.
japetus, as regular visitors to patches of
mineral-rich damp sand along the shores of rivers in Amazonia.
In September 2008 at Boca Manu,
Peru, I observed groups of up to 20 aggregating in company with
swarms of other species on the muddy shore of the Rio Madre de
Dios. It was a very hot sunny day, and the flooded river had just
subsided following 2 days of heavy rain. This appears to indicate
that the species emerges en masse after heavy rainfall, and
the occurrence of large aggregations of males at such times is
probably a regular event.
The
butterflies
have a rapid and powerful flight, and if disturbed, fly up and
settle on nearby tree trunks or vegetation, but quickly return to
their original feeding spot.
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