Butterflies
NEOTROPICAL Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forest

Family Papilionidae

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Papilio thoas, 'King Swallowtail’ or ‘Thoas Swallowtail’.

Family Pieridae: including 'Whites', 'Sulphurs' etc

Leptophobia aripa, 'Green-eyed White'. As suggsted by the name, it is pale, with green eyes! Also has two yellow spots on hindwings near body. Found throughout Neotropics

Family Riodinidae

Lasaia agesilas, ‘Metamark’.

Family Nymphalidae

Hamadryas spp. 'Cracker Butterflies' include some 25 species throughout the Neotropics. They are usually spotted, and sometumes blend in when seen perched on trunks upside down. They get their common name from make a crackling sound during territorial displays. Unlike most other butterflies they don't feed on nectar from flowers, but are attracted to rotting fruit on the forest floor, sap and even animal dung.

Subfamily Danainae

Tribe Ithomiini

Greta spp. 'Clearwings'

The stunning transparent wings of the Clearwing Butterflies make them one of the most recognisable group in the Neotropics. There are some 25 species.

Greta sp., 'Clearwing Butterfly'.

Methona spp.

Methona themisto, ‘Bates Butterfly’.

Methona maxima.

Subfamily Charaxinae

Tribe Anaeini

Memphis sp., 'Leaf Butterfly'.

Subfamily Satyrinae

Tribe Haeterini

Cithaerias pireta, 'Blushing Phantom', 'Pink-tipped Clearwing'.

Subfamily Heliconiinae

Tribe Acraeini

Actinote spp.

This genus has over 40 species.

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Actinote sp. from above wings open (above left), and from the side wings closed (above right)

Subfamily Limenitidinae

Adelpha cythera, ’Smooth-banded Sister’ (Iguazu Falls, Brazil).

Subfamily Apaturinae

Doxocopa agathina, ‘Agathina Emperor’ (Iguazu Falls, Brazi).

Subfamily Biblidinae

Tribe Biblidini

Hamadryas spp. 'Crackers'

Hamadryas sp. 'Cracker Butterfly' (Villa Carmen Lodge, Peru).

Tribe Callicorini 'Eight-eights' and relatives

Perisama spp.

 A group of some 40 species of butterflies that small, usually black and blue butterflies, with number like markings on the underside. They live mostly in the high altitude rainforest of the Andes.

Perisama calamis, 'Royal Perisama', (Manu road, Peru).

Callicore spp. 'Number Wings'

About 20 species of butterfly that often have the pattern of a number on the underwings, usually looking like '88' in a similar way to their relatives the Diaethria.

Callicore hydaspes, ‘Number Wing’ (Iguazu, Brazil).

Diaethria spp. 'Eighty-eight Butterfly’ 

A famous group of a dozen species of butterfly that often have the pattern of a number on the underwings, usually looking like '88' in a similar way to their relatives the Callicore.

Diaethria cylmena, 'Eighty-eight Butterfly’ (Iguazu Falls, Brazil).

Diaethria euclides, 'Eighty-nine Butterfly'.

Subfamily Cyrestinae

Marpesia spp., 'Daggerwings'

Marpesia berania, ‘Amber Daggerwing’. (Iguazu Falls, Brazi).

Marpesia zerynthia, 'Waiter Daggerwing',

Subfamily Nymphalinae

Tribe Nymphalini

Hypanartia spp. 'Mapwings'

Hypanartia lethe ‘Orange Mapwing/Admiral’.

Tribe Junoniini

Junonia evarete,’ Buck-eye’, ‘Pansy’.

Lepidoptera to identify

For the page on the moths of the tropical American rainforest
Back to the page on the tropical American rainforest