Butterflies of the World - Lifecycle, Ecology, Taxonomy, Conservation, Photography, Butterfly Holidays, Photo Galleries, Book Reviews and more.........
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
Butterflies of the Amazon rainforest
 
Red Flasher
Panacea prola DOUBLEDAY, 1848
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily - BIBLIDINAE
Tribe - BIBLIDINI
 
 introduction | habitats | lifecycle | adult behaviour
 
Panacea prola, male, Manu, Madre de Dios, Peru
 
Introduction
 
The genus Panacea contains 3 known species, all confined to the neotropics. They are all characterised by having blackish uppersides with extensive iridescent blue / turquoise markings.
 
The underside hindwings of all species are reddish. In P. procilla the hue is dull reddish brown, overlaid with broken wavy black lines and a series of submarginal ocelli. In regina the pattern is similar, but the ground colour is a richer tone of purplish red. The current species prola has the ground colour bright vermillion red, and almost devoid of black markings.
 
Panacea prola is distributed throughout much of the lowland rainforest of South America, from Colombia to Ecuador, Peru and southern Brazil.
 
Panacea prola, male fanning wings, Manu, Madre de Dios, Peru
 
Habitats
 
This species appears to be confined to lowland rainforests at altitudes below about 800m. It becomes increasingly more abundant at lower altitudes, and can be quite common below 300m in certain areas, e.g. in the forests of the Manu in southern Peru.
 
Lifecycle
 
To be completed.
 
Panacea prola, male, Manu, Madre de Dios, Peru
 
Adult behaviour

 

The butterflies roost amongst foliage high in the forest canopy. In the early morning they can be seen basking on tree trunks at a height of about 10-15 metres, head downwards, with wings flattened against the bark of the tree, and in behaviour and appearance are very reminiscent of the allied genus Hamadryas.

 

As temperatures begin to climb and light levels increase, they gradually descend to bask at lower points on the trunk, but will fly back to bask much higher up if disturbed. Later, even the weather remains cool and overcast, they descend to settle on riverbanks, often settling on rocks, stones, or logs.

 

Males congregate in groups of up to twenty, basking with wings outstretched, as they imbibe mineral-rich moisture on sandbanks. When one individual detects a threat from an approaching bird or human, it responds by fanning it's wings to display the bright red underside. This acts as a signal to warn it's brethren, who also start fanning their wings, so that the whole group quickly becomes alerted to the danger and is ready to fly up into the trees to escape.

 

Panacea prola, Rhetus periander, and 3 specimens of the day-flying moth Urania leilus

 

 

Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.

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