Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Felder's Emperor
Doxocopa zunilda floris FRUHSTORFER,
1907
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
APATURINAE
Doxocopa
zunilda floris,
male, Satipo, Peru
Introduction
There are 15 Doxocopa
species. They can be
loosely divided into 2 groups : The lavinia
group have Adelpha-like bands across the wings. The
wings of males reflect bright iridescent
turquoise or purple hues. The
zunilda
group lack the Adelpha-like pattern. Their
males have just a few small suffused whitish spots on the wings, which reflect
an overall deep purple sheen. The various species can be distinguished by
differences in the configuration of the whitish spots. Females of this group are
very different in appearance, with rounded wings, and patterns reminiscent of Perisama
males.
Doxocopa
zunilda is found from Panama to Paraguay and northern Argentina. The most
well known subspecies is felderi, which is found in
Panama, Colombia and Venezuela. The illustrated subspecies
floris is restricted to eastern Peru.
Habitats
The butterfly breeds in rainforest habitats at altitudes between about
400-1600m.
Lifecycle
The caterpillar feeds on
Celtis
species ( Ulmaceae ). When fully grown it is green, strongly tapered towards the anal segment, and
has a pair of forward-projecting horns on its head.
The
chrysalis is probably similar to that of other Apaturines, which are typically
flattened laterally, arched dorsally, and superbly camouflaged as living or dead
foliage.
Adult behaviour
Males are often seen on sunny
forest tracks, imbibing mineral
rich moisture from rocks, or feeding at carrion or fermenting
fallen fruit. Females are much scarcer and rarely seen,
as they spend their time high in the forest canopy.
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