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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2007, and must not be published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.
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Butterflies of
the Andes
Glasswing Mimic
Ithomiola floralis
FELDER & FELDER,
1865
Family -
RIODINIDAE
subfamily -
RIODININAE
Tribe - RIODININI
subtribe - NAPAEINA
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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
Ithomiola floralis, male, Manu cloudforest,
1500m, Peru.
Introduction
To
the uninitiated it may seem almost inconceivable that the butterflies depicted
above are members of the Riodinidae, as they so closely resemble Ithomiine
Glasswings. The Riodinidae are however a quite extraordinary family of
butterflies, which includes many species that are remarkable "mimics" of Skippers, Pierids,
Coppers, Swallowtails, Tigers and Glasswings !
In
this example the instant "giveaways" are the parallel posture of the antennae,
and the resting position, with wings outspread beneath a leaf - both typical Riodinid traits.
The
poor quality of the photograph is due to me having to balance on a wobbly log,
with the camera operated with one hand, and the other hand being used to pull
down the overhanging branch to within camera reach. Having snapped the photo,
your webmaster lost his balance and fell down a bank, while the butterflies
decided that they would be safer if they flew to a higher branch !
There are 6 known members of the genus
Ithomiola,
distributed from Surinam and French Guiana, south along the Andes to Peru and
Bolivia. Ithomiola floralis
occurs throughout this range.
Habitats
This is a cloudforest species, found at altitudes between about 1000-1800m.
Lifecycle
Unknown.
Adult behaviour
The only observations I have of this species are of the mating pair illustrated, which were found at rest beneath the foliage of a tree at a height of about 3 metres, on a cloudy morning in August.
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