|
Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Salpensa Sailor
Dynamine tithia
salpensa
FELDER & FELDER,
1862
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
BIBLIDINAE
Tribe - EUBAGINI
subtribe -
EUBAGINA
Dynamine tithia salpensa,
Catarata Bayoz, Le Merced, Peru
Introduction
The
Biblidinae are known for their diverse but simple and colourful
patterns. In the neotropics their representatives include the subtribe Eubagina,
within which are
placed the 40
Dynamine
species.
Most
Dynamine species
have metallic bluish or greenish uppersides with a dark
apex, and a series of white spots. The undersides of most species are white, marked with
narrow bands of orange - and in some species also with conspicuous ocelli and small
patches of metallic blue scales.
The greatest diversity of
species is found in the Amazon basin, but the distribution of the genus ranges
from Mexico to Bolivia.
Dynamine
tithia
occurs
in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. The illustrated subspecies
salpensa is found in the upper Amazonian regions of
Peru, Ecuador and Brazil.
Habitats
This species is found in primary and disturbed rainforest at altitudes between
about 200-1000 m.
Lifecycle
The eggs of most
Dynamine
species are white. They are laid singly on the leaf axils or flower buds of
Euphorbiaceae genera such as
Tragia
and
Dalechampia.
The
larvae are described by DeVries as being slug-like, with tiny rosettes of spines
on the back. The
pupae are greenish, elongate, with a slightly bifid head and a pronounced dorsal
keel, and suspended by the cremaster from stems or leaves.
Adult behaviour
The
butterflies are only active in hot sunny conditions, when they can be
seen flying rapidly in zig-zag fashion along sunny tracks in the
mornings. During the afternoon males visit dry river beds,
and damp ground along sunlit
forest tracks and roads. The wings are normally kept closed, but
they periodically fan their wings as they flit about from spot to
spot on the ground.
|
