Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
White Flag
Melete leucanthe
FELDER & FELDER, 1861
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily -
PIERINAE
Tribe - PIERINI
Melete leucanthe male,
Satipo, Peru
Introduction
The
Pieridae is divided into 3 subfamilies. The Dismorphiinae, with a small
number of exceptions is entirely neotropical in distribution. The Coliadinae (
Sulphurs and Yellows ) and Pierinae ( Whites and Orange tips ) however have
worldwide distribution.
There are 217 members of
the Pierinae in the neotropical region. These include familiar Holarctic
(
Eurasian and North American ) genera such as Pieris, Pontia
and Anthocharis,
and others such as
Pereute, Catasticta
and Melete
which are found only in Central and South America.
The
genus Melete
contains 6 species, characterised by having a black bar at the end of the
forewing discal cell, a black fw apex, and in most species a dark border to the
hind-wings. Apart from these markings the wings are usually a unicolorous yellow
or white.
Melete
leucanthe occurs from
Panama to Bolivia.
Habitats
This is a lowland rainforest species, occurring at elevations between sea level
and about 900m.
Lifecycle
Unknown, although the
foodplant is reputed to be Loranthaceae.
Adult behaviour
Males often aggregate with
other Pieridae species
to imbibe mineralised moisture.
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