Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Thecla Banner
Ectima thecla
peruviana
BRYK, 1953
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
BIBLIDINAE
Tribe - AGERONIINI
subtribe -
AGERONIINA
Ectima thecla peruviana,
Catarata Bayoz, La Merced, Peru
Introduction
The
Biblidinae are known for their diverse but simple and often colourful
patterns. In the neotropics their representatives include the Ageroniina - a
subtribe which includes the
Hamadryas
Crackers, the
Ectima
Banners, the
Panacea
Flashers and the Painted Beauty Batesia hypochlora.
Ectima
and Hamadryas
have much in common, not least their habit of basking head-downwards on
tree trunks with their wings held flattened against the bark. In common with the
females of most Hamadryas
species, Ectima
have a white diagonal band across the forewings, but
Hamadryas
are larger, and have very intricate calico patterns on the upper surface, unlike
the much plainer Ectima.
There are 4 Ectima
species - erycinoides
from Central America,
thecla from southern Amazonia, lirides
from Peru and Bolivia, and iona which is
distributed from Colombia to the Mato Grosso.
Habitats
This species inhabits rainforest at altitudes between about
100-1000m.
Lifecycle
The eggs are white and
laid singly on the leaves of Dalechampia and other Euphorbiaceae.
The
fully grown larva is black and covered with branched spines.
Adult behaviour
The butterflies are usually encountered as singletons basking
head-downwards on tree trunks
in the characteristic
Hamadryas /
Ectima fashion. They normally bask at a height of
about 4 metres but can be enticed lower down by applying
liquefied plantain or shrimp paste to trunks at eye-level.
Ectima thecla peruviana,
Catarata Bayoz, La Merced, Peru
|
