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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
White-banded Pallid
Ringlet
Euptychoides albofasciata
HEWITSON, 1869
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
SATYRINAE
Tribe - SATYRINI
subtribe -
EUPTYCHIINA
Euptychoides
albofasciata, Madre de Dios, Peru
Introduction
There are 1100 known species of Satyrinae in the neotropical
region. About 400 of these are placed in the Euptychiina.
Butterflies within this tribe include the "ringlet" genera
Euptychia,
Magneuptychia,
Harjesia,
Cissia,
Caeruleuptychia,
Magneuptychia,
Harjesia etc; together with
Oressinoma and the various "wood nymph" genera i.e.
Parataygetis,
Posttaygetis and Taygetis.
Most are inhabitants of the forest understorey and tend to fly
close to the ground. They generally avoid sunlight and prefer to
fly at dawn or on cloudy days when light levels and temperatures
are low.
There
are 11 species in the genus
Euptychoides.
This
species appears to be confined to the Upper Amazonian areas of Ecuador, Peru and
Brazil.
Habitats
The butterfly occurs in
wet lowland tropical rainforest at elevations between 0-800m.
Lifecycle
The lifecycle appears to be unrecorded, but it is likely to be similar to that
of other members of the Euptychiina, in which the eggs are
globular, and usually laid singly on or near the foodplants. These
according to species may be either grasses, palms or arrowroots.
The larvae in common with those of other Satyrines is likely to be
green or pale brown in colour with numerous thin paler and darker stripes
running along the back and sides.
Adult behaviour
The adults are usually seen singly in well vegetated areas
along streams in primary rainforest. They frequently settle on low foliage, tilt-basking
to present the greatest possible area of wing surface to the
sun.
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