Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Cramer's Green Hairstreak
Chalybs janias
CRAMER, 1779
Family -
LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
THECLINAE
Tribe - EUMAEINI
Chalybs janias,
male,
Tingo Maria, Peru
© Peter
Bruce-Jones
Introduction
All neotropical Theclines are placed in the tribe Eumaeini, which comprises of
1,058 currently known species
classified into 83
genera. The Eumaeini are very poorly represented in museum collections, and
until very recently were ignored by most workers, the exception being Robbins,
whose revision of the tribe was published in the Lamas neotropical checklist,
2004. It is hardly surprising therefore, especially when taking into account the
small size of the butterflies and their secretive habits, that it is estimated
that there are probably several hundred species still awaiting discovery.
There are
4 known species of Chalybs, found
variously from Mexico to Bolivia.
Chalybs janias is the commonest and most
widely distributed member of the genus, occuring from Guatemala to Peru and
Brazil.
Habitats
This species is found in mildly disturbed areas of tropical and subtropical rainforest
at altitudes from about 400-1200m.
Lifecycle
To
be completed.
Adult behaviour
Males probably spend most of their time perching on bushes, where
their green colouration affords them excellent camouflage.
|
