Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Pamela
Perrhybris pamela
STOLL, 1780
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily -
PIERINAE
Tribe - PIERINI
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Perrhybris
pamela, male, Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
Introduction
The
combination of conspicuous black and orange markings on a white ground colour is
a common theme amongst the Pierinae and Dismorphiinae. This aposematic
colouration is indicative of their known unpalatability and toxic qualities, and
functions to deter avian predators from attacking the butterflies.
On the upper surface of the wings the males are white with a black
apex, but the females are entirely different, patterned with bands of orange,
yellow and black.
They are generally regarded as Müllerian mimics of the "tiger-complex"
Ithomiines in the genus
Mechanitis.
Müllerian mimicry is a term used to describe a group of
unpalatable butterflies ( often unrelated ) which share a common pattern. The
theory, presented by Muller in 1879, stares that a bird which suffers the
unpleasant experience of tasting one of these species will remember its pattern
and avoid attacking other butterflies with similar patterns and colours.
The genus Perrhybris
is exclusively neotropical in distribution. There are 3 known species - lorena, lypera
and pamela.
The latter species is also known by the junior synonym pyrrha.
Perrhybris pamela
has 18 recognised subspecies, found variously in Mexico, Honduras,
Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Surinam, French Guiana, Brazil,
Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
Perrhybris
pamela, female, Pantiacolla, Rio Alto Madre de Dios, Peru
Habitats
This
species breeds in lowland rainforest at altitudes between sea level and about
900m.
Perrhybris
pamela, female, Satipo, Peru
Lifecycle
The eggs are bright
yellow, and laid in batches on either side of the leaves of Capparis.
The fully grown
caterpillar is black, with several yellow rings around each segment. The head
and anal claspers are bright red. The caterpillars feed gregariously, lined up
in neat groups on the upper surface of leaves of Capparis
( Capparidaceae ).
The
chrysalis is brown with patches of dark green, 3 black spines on each abdominal
segment, and an orange cremaster. Up to 20 pupae may be found in a cluster on
the upper surface of a leaf.
Perrhybris
pamela, males, Satipo, Peru
Adult behaviour
Males are usually found in
small groups of up to half a dozen, mud-puddling amidst
aggregations of other white butterflies including Protesilaus
swordtails and various Pierids. Females are
usually seen singly, visiting the flowers of herbaceous plants, or
flying along forest trails searching for oviposition sites. Both
sexes roost overnight among herbage.
Perrhybris
pamela, male, Satipo, Peru
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