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Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.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
 
Dido Longwing
Philaethria dido LINNAEUS, 1763
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily - HELICONIINAE
Tribe - HELICONINI
 
 introduction | habitats | lifecycle | adult behaviour
 
Philaethria dido, male, Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
 
Introduction
 
There are 7 known members of the genus Philaethria, which some authorities regard as the most primitive of the Heliconiine genera. Two species, namely constantinoi from Colombia and andrei from French Guiana, were discovered in 1991 and 2002 respectively. A third species pygmalion is found in the Brazilian state of Para, near the mouth of the Amazon. South-east Brazil holds another species werneckei, while diatonica and ostara are found in Honduras and Colombia respectively.
 
Philaethria dido is by far the most widespread species, found from Mexico to the southern Amazon. It is amongst the most beautiful and graceful of neotropical butterflies, but is rarely seen, as it spends the majority of it's life high in the forest canopy. It is however regarded as a fairly common species throughout much of it's range, and I have glimpsed high flying specimens on almost every trip to the neotropics which I have undertaken, including Costa Rica, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil and Peru.
 
Novices sometimes confuse this species with the Malachite Siproeta stelenes, a common Nymphaline found in open secondary forest, or around the edges of clearings in primary forest. The wing shape of the two genera are completely different however.
 
Philaethria dido, males, Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
 
Habitats
 
This species breeds in wet tropical rainforests at altitudes from sea level to about 1200m, but appears to be absent at higher altitudes, and from deciduous forests.
 
Philaethria dido, male, Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
 
Lifecycle
 
The eggs are laid singly on the underside of the leaves of low growing Passiflora plants.
 
The larva is pale green with reddish spines along the back and sides, and has a pale brown head which also bears spines.
 
The chrysalis is reportedly pale brown, mottled with grey, and is said to resemble a bird dropping.
 
Adult behaviour

 

As with most butterfly species, the behaviour of males and females differs greatly. The females are seen more frequently, flitting and gliding at a height of about 4 metres, and occasionally descending to examine low growing Passiflora plants at light gaps in the forest.

 

Males are more elusive, at least to observers at ground level. but on rare occasions they will descend from the forest canopy to imbibe mineral-rich moisture from sandbanks along rivers. At these times they are quite approachable, but flutter constantly as they move about probing the sand for nutrients.

 

 

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.

Website designed, produced and owned by Adrian Hoskins