Butterflies of the World - Lifecycle, Ecology, Taxonomy, Conservation, Photography, Butterfly Holidays, Photo Galleries, Book Reviews and more.........
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
Butterflies of the Andes PAGE 2
A gallery of photographs by Adrian Hoskins
Photographs taken in the Andes mountains of Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru.
Also visit :
Moths of the Andes - a gallery of photographs
Species Index - butterflies of the world
 
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Click on thumbnails to see more photos, and detailed descriptions of the distribution, habitats, lifecycle and behaviour of each illustrated species......
 
Common Longwing
Heliconius erato
 
Heliconius erato is one of the commonest and most widespread of the Longwings, found from Mexico to Bolivia. The butterfly produces a wide range of geographical forms. Perhaps the most dramatic variation is the race cyrbia from the mountains of Ecuador - this taxa has a lurid pink band across the forewings, white submarginal rays on the hindwings, and a beautiful metallic blue sheen across the entire wing surface.
 
 
Oedipus Owl
Caligo oedipus
 

Owl butterflies are usually encountered as singletons, flying just before dusk along narrow trails. They are attracted to rotting plantains and other fruit on the forest floor, and if disturbed fly in a seemingly very ungainly fashion, with the flapping of their wings clearly audible. Normally they fly only a few metres at a time, and settle clumsily on foliage, often failing to maintain their grip, and being forced to resettle elsewhere. They continue flying through the night, and are sometimes attracted into buildings by artificial lighting. Just before dawn they seek out narrow tree trunks, on which they roost during daylight hours at a height of between 1-2 metres above ground level.

 
Puna Clouded Yellow
Colias dimera
 
This is one of several Clouded Yellow species which breed at high altitudes in the Andes. It is migratory in behaviour, crossing seasonally from north to south along the Andean range, and also from the Pacific slope to the eastern Andes via mountain passes. It breeds in small colonies on puna grasslands at elevations between 2800-4000m, in areas which are above the cloud line, bathed in warm sunshine for most of the year.
 
 
Neotropical Chequered Skipper
Pyrgus oileus
 
The Pyrginae are found throughout the world in all habitats. In the neotropical region there are 990 known species. Pyrgus oileus is probably the most well known and easily recognised member of the genus, which are known in Europe as Grizzled Skippers. In North America they are known as Chequered Skippers, but are unrelated to the European Chequered Skippers which belong to an entirely different subfamily - Heteropterinae.
 
Diotima Gem
Orophila diotima
 
This species inhabits cloudforests in the eastern Andes, at altitudes between about 1500-2200m. It is usually encountered as solitary males, aggregating with Perisama and various Satyrines to imbibe dissolved minerals from moisture on damp paths or at the edge of rivulets. The adults tend to favour areas of dappled sunlight, and in these conditions will often bask with wings outspread on the ground. In warm sunshine they tend to spend most of their time settled on the foliage of bushes and trees, at heights of between 2-6 metres.
 
 
Golden Mountain Satyr
Lymanopoda translucida
 
This attractive little species belongs to a group of Satyrines known as Pronophilina. The 556 species in this subtribe are all high altitude cloudforest species. The genus Lymanopoda comprises 57 small species ( average wingspan 60mm ), all of which share the same wing shape. Several have only been recently discovered and more species are likely to be found. Lymanopoda translucida breeds in grassy cloudforest habitats at altitudes of about 2500-3000m.
 
Golden Lady Slipper
Pierella hyceta
 
Pierella butterflies are usually encountered in two's or three's, along dark forest trails, or amongst bamboo thickets. They fly mainly in the gloom of pre-dawn, but can be disturbed when walking along trails early in the morning. Their flight is low and skulking, but surprisingly rapid, and has been compared with the movements of a ballroom dancer's feet, hence the vernacular name "Lady's Slipper" or "Lady Slipper". Most Pierella species have blue or dark reddish markings on the upperside, but hyceta is unusual, it's upperside hindwings being suffused with beautiful golden-orange.
 
Alala Sister
Adelpha alala
 
The Alala Sister is a cloudforest species, usually encountered as solitary males imbibing moisture from damp soil in the vicinity of waterfalls or mountain streams. These individuals are invariably found to be in immaculate condition, i.e. unmated, suggesting that the dissolved minerals which they sequester from the mud may play an essential role in the fertilisation of females. The probability is that the minerals are processed by the male, to provide nutrients vital to fecundity, and are passed to the female during copulation.
 
Manu Perisama
Perisama cabirnia
 
Perisama butterflies are marked on the uppersides with bands of metallic green on a velvety black ground colour. All species have plain undersides marked on the forewings with red, blue and black, and on the hindwings with dots and wavy lines on a plain silvery or cream ground colour. P. cabirnia occurs in southern Peru at altitudes between about 1200-1800m. Males are usually encountered in two's and three's, aggregating with other Perisama species at damp patches on unsurfaced roads.
 
Thessalia Sister
Adelpha thessalia
 
Butterflies of the genus Adelpha can often be difficult to identify, as most species have a similar pattern of orange and white bands on a dark brown ground colour. The individual species are best identified by examining the configuration of the orange spots in the subapical area of the forewing. In most cases it is also essential to examine the patterning on the undersides, by which means otherwise very similar species can be distinguished. Adelpha thessalia occurs in the southern Amazon and eastern Andes, in pre-montane cloudforest and rainforest habitats at elevations of between about 200-1700m.
 
Pink-banded Sister
Adelpha lycorias
 
Most other Adelpha species are marked with white bands and patches of orange, but Adelpha lycorias is unique in having broad pink bands across the forewings. It has a slower and more graceful flight than the white-and-orange banded species. Males often glide in circles at knee-height, alighting for a moment here and there on damp soil to imbibe moisture. Both sexes feed at rotting fruit, either on the forest floor or in the canopy. This species is found at elevations between sea level and about 1500m in rainforest and premontane cloudforest habitats from Guatemala to Bolivia.
 
Common Mylon
Mylon maimon
 
The genus Mylon contains 15 known species, all with the same wing shape and pale greyish-white ground colour. Some species are faintly marked, while others are quite heavily marbled with dark brown. M. maimon is probably the most widespread species, found from Colombia to Bolivia. It is usually seen along wide sunlit tracks or forest edge habitats. Males are seen more frequently, usually when imbibing moisture from around the edges of muddy puddles, or from damp ditches where there is a lot of decaying vegetation.
 
Moneta Longwing
Dione moneta
 
This silver-spangled Heliconiine is migratory in behaviour, and can thus be found in almost any habitat, and at any altitude from sea level to 3500 metres, but is most often encountered in open sunny areas - these typically include riverbanks, rocky slopes, pastures and roadsides - in fact anywhere where there is an abundance of nectar sources. Males can sometimes be seen congregating in two's or three's at places where mountain rivulets ford roads, and filter-feed, drinking large quantities of clear water, unlike other Nymphalids, which tend to prefer imbibing from mud or damp sand.
 
Goldspot Skipper
Dalla cypselus
 
This species inhabits cloudforests at elevations between about 1200-2000m. Males often congregate at damp soil, particularly around muddy ditches where there is a mass of dead rotting vegetation. They filter-feed, continually sucking up water with the proboscis, extracting dissolved minerals, and expelling the water in a jet from the anus. On other occasions the ejected water is dropped onto the substrate, and the proboscis curled underneath the body so that the liquid can be re-imbibed and further minerals extracted.
 
White-patch Cloudforest Skipper
Theagenes albiplaga
 
This is one of the most distinctive skippers in the neotropics, easily recognised by the large white circular patches on the hindwings, and the cryptic forewings, the apex of which is angled downwards when the butterfly is basking. The butterfly is usually encountered singly, and is only active in hot sunshine. Males fly very rapidly, circling and zig-zagging just above the surface of the ground. They periodically settle to imbibe moisture from damp sand with wings outspread.
 

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