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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Leopard-spotted
Beauty
Baeotus deucalion
FELDER & FELDER, 1860
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
NYMPHALINAE
Tribe - COEINI
Baeotus deucalion
( right ) and Dryas iulia ( left ), Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
Introduction
This
species
is one of 4 members of the genus
Baeotus,
all of which are confined to the neotropics.
Unlike B. aeilus
this species is not sexually dimorphic - in both sexes the upperside is dark brown with a
broad pale orange median band.
Habitats
Baeotus deucalion
breeds in lowland wet tropical forests at altitudes below about 500m, and
like
aeilus,
it 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 usually seen
singly, often in the company of
Baeotus aeilus or B.
japetus, and are regular visitors to patches of
mineral-rich damp sand along the shores of rivers in Amazonia.
They 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.
I
have not observed the female of this species.
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