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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Flamingo Leafwing
Fountainea ryphea
CRAMER,1775
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
CHARAXINAE
Tribe - ANAEINI
Fountainea
ryphea ecuadorialis, Satipo, Peru
Introduction
The
tribe Anaeini comprises of 87 neotropical species in the genera
Coenophlebia,
Consul,
Anaea,
Polygrapha,
Memphis,
Siderone,
Fountainea
and
Zaretis.
The
adults characterised by having a very
rapid and strong flight. They have stout bodies, falcate wings, and on the upper
surface are generally black, marked with bands or patches
of orange, bright red, or lustrous blue according to species. The
undersides of all species in the Anaeini are cryptically patterned in mottled
brown tones, and bear a very strong resemblance to dead leaves.
There are 8 species in the
genus Fountainea, all of which are restricted to
the neotropical region. The hindwings
of most species usually have short tails, in both sexes, but in the males of ryphea
and sosippus
these are vestigial or absent.
In some races of
Fountainea ryphea the males
have a beautiful purple sheen across the wings, but this can only be seen from
certain angles.
This
species occurs
in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Trinidad, Colombia,
Guyana, Surinam, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.
Habitats
This species is usually encountered in secondary / disturbed forest habitats
e.g. along wide trails, riverbanks and close to habitations. It is found in both
deciduous and evergreen forests at altitudes between sea level and about 1000m.
Lifecycle
The eggs are white, and
laid singly on the foliage of the foodplants.
The fully grown
larva is green, with paler longitudinal lines along the back, and lightly
marbled with reddish brown and white along the sides. It has a large head that
is adorned with a pair of short horns. The larva lives within a cell made
by rolling up a leaf and securing it with fine silk. It feeds on saplings of Croton
- a tree in the Euphorbiaceae.
The
chrysalis is suspended by the cremaster from a stem or leaf. It is pale
greenish, with the wing cases edged in pale yellow. The head and thorax form a
barrel shaped section, and the abdominal segments are highly compressed, forming
a short cone.
Adult behaviour
The
butterflies are usually seen singly, often as the sole
Fountainea
species amidst a mixed group of
Memphis,
Doxocopa
and
Taygetis
species that have aggregated to feed at dung or rotting fruit on
the forest floor. Males also visit sewage seepages and river
beaches to imbibe mineralised water.
The flight
and general behaviour is similar to that of other Charaxine
genera. They tend to remain settled on foliage or on the
ground for long periods. If disturbed they fly up, circle
around briefly, and then settle on the foliage of a nearby tree.
After a while, they descend cautiously over a period of several
minutes, in a series
of steps, often settling on leaves that are in dappled sunlight.
At such times
they often bask with wings half open. Eventually they return to
ground level, and sometimes flit about, fanning their wings for a
few moments, before closing them. Once settled with wings closed
they are confident in the disguise afforded by their "dead-leaf"
undersides, and will remain stationary for many minutes.
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