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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Lybia Longwing
Eueides lybia
FABRICIUS, 1775
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
HELICONIINAE
Tribe - HELICONIINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Eueides lybia, newly emerged from
chrysalis, Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
Introduction
There are several similarly coloured
butterflies in the genus Eueides, which comprises
of 12 species variously distributed from Mexico to Bolivia.
Eueides lybia
is found from Nicaragua to Bolivia.
Habitats
This is a canopy dwelling species which occurs at altitudes between sea level
and about 1400m on both sides of the Andes.
Lifecycle
The eggs are laid singly
on Passiflora vines. The caterpillars feed
solitarily and are black except for white patches on the thorax and anal
segment. They have long, bristled spines along the back and sides. There is a
broad yellowish stripe along the sides. The head is black and shiny with a pair
of long recurved horns. The chrysalis is white, marked with brown streaks on the
wing cases, and blackish dots on the abdomen and thorax. It is suspended by the
cremaster from a leaf.
Adult behaviour
The
butterflies spend most of their time high in the canopy and are
rarely seen on the ground, but will sometimes visit
Lantana or
Psiguria flowers for nectar.
Females are sometimes seen flying along forest edges in dappled
sunlight in search of oviposition sites. The emerging adult
illustrated above was found at a height of about 2 metres in the
vicinity of a small stream in primary forest.
The
butterflies roost gregariously, as do many other Heliconiines.
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