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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Smooth-banded Sister
Adelpha cytherea
LINNAEUS, 1758
Family -
NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
LIMENITIDINAE
Tribe - LIMENITIDINI
Adelpha cytherea, Tingo Maria, Peru
Introduction
Adelpha
butterflies are colloquially known as "Sisters". In terms of
appearance they are reminiscent of the White Admirals (
Limenitis
) of Eurasia, and share with them a fondness for flitting gracefully around the
lower branches of trees in the dappled sunlight of the forest.
There are 85 known species of
Adelpha,
all except one of which are confined to Central and South America. They are
characterised by the distinctive black marbled pattern overlaid on a dark brown ground colour; and by
having a broad orange or white band on the
forewings. In the vast majority of species this band also extends vertically
down to the tornus of the hindwings.
While it is easy to recognise the genus, determining the individual
species
can sometimes be very difficult - a problem exacerbated by misidentified
museum specimens and mislabelled illustrations in many entomological books. The only reliable
identification resource
is "The genus Adelpha" by Keith Willmott.
Accurate identification requires
meticulous examination of the configuration of the orange markings in the subapical area
on the forewing, and of the precise shape of the vertical bands. It is also essential
in most cases to examine the patterning on the underside.
Adelpha
cytherea is a very common species, widely distributed throughout
tropical and subtropical areas of Central and South America.
Habitats
This is a common species of
rainforest and
pre-montane cloudforest habitats. It occurs at elevations between 0-1200m along
forest edges, in large light gaps, and in secondary forest.
Lifecycle
The
egg is white and
is laid singly on leaves of Sabicea (
Rubiaceae ).
The
young larva nibbles away at the tip of a leaf, leaving the midrib projecting.
It constructs a chain of frass along the midrib and rests at the end of it.
Frass chains appear to act as a deterrent to ants, spiders and parasitoids
who
find it difficult to walk on them. The fully grown larva is dark brown. It has
two rows of conspicuous spines along
it's back, those on the first two segments being enlarged and
directed forward, while the third pair are directed backward. It
rests openly on the upper surface of old damaged leaves.
Adult behaviour
The butterflies are usually encountered
singly or in two's or three's. Unlike most other
Adelpha species
they rarely imbibe moisture from the ground, but will imbibe from
damp fallen tree trunks or from the surface of foliage. Both sexes
nectar at Cephaelis flowers.
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