Butterflies of
Mexico
Creamy
Stripestreak
Arawacus jada
HEWITSON, 1867
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
THECLINAE
Tribe
-
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Arawacus jada,
Oaxaca, Mexico.
( image
courtesy © Tony Hoare )
Introduction
There
are 18 species in the genus
Arawacus,
all of which are confined to the neotropical region. In most species the
underside ground colour is pure white, marked with a "zebra" pattern of black stripes radiating from the tornus of the hindwing and terminating at
points along the forewing costa. In jada the
pattern is similar, but the colours are very muted. The upperside of
jada is metallic sky blue, except for the apical
area which is blackish brown.
Arawacus
jada is found in Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua, but is also recorded as
a rare stray in Arizona, USA.
Habitats
This
species occurs in open deciduous woodland, scrub, and along roadsides, at
altitudes between about 200-1800m.
Lifecycle
The larva
when fully grown is plump, pale green in colour, and covered with short whitish
hairs. It feeds on Solanum erianthum and
S. umbellatum ( Solanaceae ).
Adult behaviour
Both sexes nectar at the flowers of various bushes
and herbaceous plants.
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