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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Fiery Satyr
Lasiophila orbifera
BUTLER,
1868
Family -
NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
SATYRINAE
Tribe - SATYRINI
subtribe -
PRONOPHILINA
Lasiophila orbifera,
Manu cloudforest, 2400m, Peru.
Introduction
There are 1100
known species of Satyrinae in the neotropical region. About 570 of these are
placed in the
subtribe Pronophilina - a diverse group of high altitude
cloudforest butterflies, all of which are confined to the neotropical region. The vast majority
are found only in the Andes, but 4 species are known from
the Atlantic cloudforests of Brazil, and there are a further 6 species that are endemic to Guatemala, Costa
Rica or Mexico. More oddly there is one genus
Calisto
that is found exclusively on the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Hispaniola.
The
genus Lasiophila
comprises 14 medium sized species characterised by having heavily scalloped hind
wings which on the underside resemble bits of curled up dead brown foliage. The
uppersides of most of the species are dark brown, with extensive areas of orange
or deep reddish, and a series of round dark submarginal spots on the hindwings.
The exceptions are prosymna which has a broad white
diagonal bar on the forewings; and cirta and
piscina which both have prominent white patches on
the hindwings.
Lasiophila orbifera is found commonly in the cloudforests of Ecuador,
Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.
Lasiophila orbifera,
Machu Picchu, Peru.
Habitats
This is a cloudforest species found at altitudes between about 1400-2800m.
Lifecycle
The lifecycle appears to be unrecorded.
The following
generalisations are applicable to the subtribe Pronophilina and are probably applicable to
Lasiophila:
The
eggs are round, white or pale greenish white, and laid singly on the foodplants or on surrounding vegetation. The
larvae are typically pale brown, marked along the back and sides with narrow dark
stripes, and tapering towards each end. The head is large in
proportion to the body and has two short forward-pointing horns. The tip of the
abdomen is equipped with a pair of caudal prongs which are used to flick the frass away
from the feeding area.
The
larvae of all known Pronophilina feed on
Chusquea
- a genus of bamboo which grows in thickets, mainly along the courses of
streams.
Lasiophila orbifera,
Machu Picchu, Peru.
Adult behaviour
When freshly emerged the butterflies are a beautiful deep red
colour, but after a few days exposure to sunlight this fades to an
insipid orange-brown tone.
The butterflies are commonly seen in flight along roadsides and
wide trails, but spend much of their time at rest in the dappled
sunlight of the forest understorey. They feed at rotting fruit on
the forest floor, and occasionally visit flowers, but are more
often found at dung or carrion.
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