Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Falcate Dismorphia
Lieinix nemesis LATREILLE, 1813
Family -
PIERIDAE
subfamily -
DISMORPHIINAE
Lieinix
nemesis, Manu cloudforest, 1500m, Peru
Introduction
The
Dismorphiinae is a small subfamily which includes the Wood Whites of Europe, and
about 50 neotropical species.
Features common to all Dismorphiine genera include the
slightly tapered and
down-curved antennae, long thin abdomens, narrow forewings, and hindwings
that are noticeably greater in area than the forewings.
In
several Dismorphiine genera sexual dimorphism is very pronounced, with females looking
like fairly typical Pierids, while the males are often patterned in orange and
black, closely resembling the "tiger complex" Ithomiines. The naturalist Henry
Walter Bates observed this phenomenon and postulated
the theory that the non-toxic males had evolved to become mimics of toxic Ithomiines -
a theory now known as Batesian mimicry.
The
genus Lieinix
( formerly included in
Dismorphia ) was
erected to include 6 species which are characterised by having narrow falcate
forewings, and slightly glossy mottled brownish undersides.
Lieinix
nemesis is sexually dimorphic - the upper surface of
the male's forewings are black, spotted with creamy white. The female's
forewings are white with a black apical area and a black streak across the
discal cell.
The
butterfly occurs from Mexico to Peru.
Lieinix
nemesis, Manu cloudforest, 1500m, Peru
Habitats
This species is found in mid-elevation primary and secondary cloudforest habitats, from about
600-1800m above sea level.
Lieinix
nemesis, Mariposa, Satipo, Peru
Lifecycle
The eggs are pale yellow, and laid singly on
young leaves of
Inga
( Mimosaceae ).
The
fully grown caterpillar is dark green and covered with short downy "hair". The
chrysalis is green, with bowed wing-cases, and a strongly tapered head. It hangs
at an angle of 45 degrees from a stem, attached by the cremaster, and supported
by a silk girdle.
Lieinix
nemesis, Mariposa, Satipo, Peru
Adult behaviour
Males are usually encountered
in one's or two's, imbibing dissolved minerals from damp ground,
and are strongly attracted to urine or sunlit patches of damp
rotting leaf litter. They are quite docile in behaviour - if
disturbed they meander about for a few moments, fluttering slowly
just above the surface of the ground, but soon resettle, usually
within a few metres of their original feeding station.
Females are seen much less
frequently, but can sometimes be found searching for oviposition
sites at light gaps in the forest. On misty days they can sometimes be found at rest on
the foliage of tall bushes in forest edge habitats.
|
