A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
fairly large butterfly, brown with reddish and white under parts similar to the open winged patterns.
tropical/subtropical
this individual was quite hasty, keeping it wings in upright position most of the time, flickering and flapping its wings as it scanned the wet mud. maybe needed some water/minerals. aiming for a good shot was not easy as am still very amateur in photography
Good luck! Try looking for a good Central American butterfly guide that shows upper and lower sides of male and female of each species.
Butterflies of Central America. Volume 1.
Kim Garwood & Richard Lehman. 2011.
Eye Scry Publishing, McAllen, Texas. 304 pp.
[Covers Oaxaca, MX through Panama, includes Papilionidae, Pieridae & Nymphalidae, almost 2,300 photos (provided by almost 70 different photographers) across 284 color plates, includes many, many subspecies, with range maps and principal photographic locations, index and quick index.]
I have not yet seen this guide so maybe take a look at it before purchasing to make sure it has what you want.
Good luck!
ooooooooooooh! this is a lot to take in! amazing! i am bedazzled!!! now to pin out which specimen i showcase is the challenge! i came across this lonely guy and have not spotted another since then, geez, i need to read more of my belize (central american species) and have a better idea on what am observing.
There are a few genera of tail-less swallowtails in Central America, but I'm not overly familiar with many of the individual species. Many of these butterflies have a body and wing style incredibly similar to your specimen.
Family: Papilionidae
Genus Battus has about 15 species in Central America with an incredible similar body and wing shape to your butterfly. Their larval hosts are pipevines (Aristolochia)
More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battus_%28b...
Genus Parides has some 50 species in Central America. Some are tailless and many are sexually dimorphic which makes for a tricky ID. Their larval hosts are pipevines (Aristolochia)
More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parides
Genus Mimoides has about a dozen species local to Central America. Their larval hosts are members of the Pawpaw family (Annona)
More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimoides
i see a similarity with the alphenor subspecies! i wonder! tnx for the info!!! will have a look and decide!!! danke!
has a basic shape to it! (as i see on google images, LSTM). wish i knew more bout these winged guys
Spotted on Sep 2, 2009
Submitted on Aug 25, 2011
+1
