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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Red Flasher
Panacea prola
DOUBLEDAY,
1848
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
BIBLIDINAE
Tribe - AGERONIINI
Panacea
prola amazonica, male, Manu, Madre de Dios, Peru ©
Adrian Hoskins
Introduction
The
genus
Panacea
contains 3 known species, all confined to the neotropics.
The underside hindwings of all Panacea species are reddish. In
procilla
the ground colour is reddish brown, overlaid with broken wavy black lines and a
series of submarginal ocelli. It also has reddish maculae in the forewing discal
cell. In
prola
the underside is bright red and without ocelli. Both prola
and procilla have red maculae in the underside fw
discal cell, but these are absent in regina.
The iridescent bands
on the upperside of all Panacea species are a highly reflective pale turquoise
colour when viewed from
directly above in bright sunlight. In overcast conditions, when viewed at
certain angles, the colour changes to a beautiful shade of sky blue.
Panacea
prola is found
throughout much of South America, from Colombia to southern Brazil but is more abundant in
the foothills of the eastern Peruvian Andes than
anywhere else.
Panacea
prola amazonica, Pantiacolla, Rio Alto Madre de Dios, Peru ©
Adrian Hoskins
Habitats
This species appears to be confined to rainforest and transitional cloudforest, at altitudes below
about 1000m. It becomes increasingly abundant at lower altitudes, and can be
extremely common below 500m in certain areas, e.g. in the forests of the Manu in
southern Peru.
Panacea
prola amazonica, Pantiacolla, Rio Alto Madre de Dios, Peru ©
Adrian Hoskins
Lifecycle
Surprisingly the lifecycle and larval
foodplants of this common butterfly are apparently unknown.
Panacea
prola amazonica, Pantiacolla, Rio Alto Madre de Dios, Peru ©
Adrian Hoskins
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.
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. Once the butterflies have been on the
ground for a few minutes they become very reluctant to move, and
will remain basking until dusk, even during light showers or
drizzle.
A mixed group of
40 Panacea
prola and Panacea regina,
Rio Madre de Dios, Peru ©
Adrian Hoskins
Males congregate
in groups of up to 50, 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 amazonica, Satipo, Peru ©
Adrian Hoskins
Panacea
prola amazonica, Satipo, Peru ©
Adrian Hoskins
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