Malachite butterflies - Siproeta stelenes meridionalis (Fruhstorfer, 1909)

For some reason, green is not a common or popular color among neotropical butterflies. Unlike other tropical regions of the old world, only a dozen green butterflies occur in the American tropics (some hairstreaks like Cyanophrys, Evenus, Arcas, Erora, some papilionids and Nessaea). Among them the most flashy example is the large malachite green butterfly, with brown lines and large square wings of jagged margins. This butterfly is an imitation of the heliconians (long - wing butterflies) Philaethria wernickei and P. dido, from which is virtually distinguished only by its larger size, less elongated wings and the outer margin of the posterior wing strongly serrated with 3 small indentations.

Siproeta stelenes (© David Geale).

It is a common species found in a vast area of ​​the Americas from southern Texas, Florida and the West Indies to Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil. Adults are typical butterflies of open forest, found from sea level to 1,500 meters in moist or seasonally disturbed forest habitat, such as clearing, rivers, roads, edges, secondary vegetation and even orchards where many herbaceous Acanthaceae species thrive (Blechum, Justicia, Ruelia).

Philaethria wernickei (© Antonio Lopes).

Adults are attracted to flowers and fermented fruits, they often rest and sunbathe on the lower foliage on trails, roads or gardens, and females patrol small stretches of this habitat in search of their host plants to lay eggs from where caterpillars hatch and become the next generation. These are black olive with pink and white tubercles, remembering the toxic caterpillars of Parides and Battus (papilionids). The pupae are light-green with some short thorns.

Data: 09/04/21