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Owl Butterfly - Mariposa Búho

Caligo memnon

Description:

It belongs to one of the 20 species of family Nymphalidae. Caligos commonly known as Owl butterflies. The larvae come to measure up to 15 cm long and adults can exceed 20 cm in wingspan. Its common name comes from the large ocelli on the back side of the wings, which look like large eyes. It is believed that these ocelli serve the function of diverting the attack of the birds towards less vulnerable parts of the body, while protecting the abdomen and the head of the butterfly.---------------------------Pertenece a una de las 20 especies de Cáligos de la familia Nymphalidae conocidos vulgarmente como mariposas búho. Las larvas llegan a medir hasta 15 cm de largo y los adultos pueden superar 20 cm de envergadura. Su nombre común proviene de los grandes ocelos en la parte posterior de las alas, que parecen ojos grandes. Se cree que estos ocelos cumplen la función de desviar el ataque de los pájaros hacia partes menos vulnerables del cuerpo, mientras se protege el abdomen y la cabeza de la mariposa.

Habitat:

They are typical of the jungles of Central and South America, from the South of Mexico to southern Brazil, and on Trinidad and Tobago.-----------------------Son propias de las selvas de Centro y Sudamérica, desde el sur de México hasta el sur de Brasil, y en Trinidad y Tobago.

1 Species ID Suggestions

bayucca
bayucca 12 years ago
Owl butterfly
Caligo sp.


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1 Comment

bayucca
bayucca 12 years ago

Tricky to ID due to the perspective and great variability of the blue patches and yellow stripes. Many of the Caligo sp. have these features.

rams4d
Spotted by
rams4d

Provincia de Panamá Oeste, Panama

Spotted on Jan 25, 2012
Submitted on Jan 25, 2012

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