Caligo idomeneus
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| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
Caligo idomeneus , also Idomeneus-Bananenfalter , is a butterfly from the genus of the banana butterfly (Caligo) within the family of the noble butterfly (Nymphalidae). The specific epithet Idomeneus goes back to a mythical king and hero of Crete whotook part inthe Trojan War .
features
butterfly
The wingspan of adult moths is between 120 and 150 millimeters, according to other information also 110 to 140 millimeters. It is strongly dark brown on the upper side with iridescent violet-blue speckles and a whitish line that extends diagonally over the forewings to the hind wings, where it ends in a light blue. The underside shows brown-white finely feathered lines that end in a narrow brown band at the edge of the forewing. There are several eye spots here , two small ones on the tip of the fore wing and two large ones on the hind wing. The very large eye spot on the hind wings is intended to deter predators.
egg
The eggs are spherical and white.
Caterpillar
The body of young caterpillars is green and turns brown to dark brown after the last moult. They have a flat, slightly hairy body. There are four pairs of backward curved, hairy horns on the head. The back shows the same black thorns. It is provided with up to six of them, the middle ones being slightly larger than the outer ones. The end of the body ends in a hairy fork tail.
Similar species
- Caligo eurilochus , Cramer , 1775
Behavior and way of life
The moths prefer to fly in the early morning hours or at dusk. They absorb the juice of decaying bananas. They lay their eggs in small clusters on the leaves of the host plant. With a good food supply, the butterfly has a life expectancy of up to 7 weeks. They often spend the days with closed wings sitting on a tree trunk.
Caterpillars eat the leaves of the banana family (Musaceae) and heliconias ( Heliconia ). They are nocturnal and sleep in small groups during the day that meet on the midribs of the leaves. Older, then brown caterpillars sleep on the bark of trees. The caterpillars go through four stages between which they molt. In their last caterpillar stage, they are 130 to 140 millimeters long. The butterfly hatches after a pupal stage of around five weeks.
distribution and habitat
The species is native to all of South America , from the Amazon to the eastern Andes , from Venezuela to Ecuador and southern Brazil to Argentina, and inhabits tropical forests and farmland here.
Subspecies
In addition to the nominate form ( Caligo idomeneus idomeneus ), the following subspecies are distinguished:
- Caligo idomeneus ariphron , Fruhstorfer , 1910
- Caligo idomeneus idomenides , Fruhstorfer , 1903
- Caligo idomeneus rhoetus , Staudinger , 1886
- Caligo idomeneus apollo , Fruhstorfer , 1913
- Caligo idomeneus apollonidas , Fruhstorfer , 1912
- Caligo idomeneus hippolochus , Fruhstorfer , 1913
- Caligo idomeneus ibycus , Fruhstorfer , 1910
- Caligo idomeneus Marsus , graver , 1904
- Caligo idomeneus praecana , graver , 1907
status
It is common and widespread, and is a common pest in banana plantations.
swell
literature
- Elizabeth Balmer: Butterflies: Recognizing and Identifying. Parragon Books, 2007, ISBN 978-1-40751-203-7 , p. 103
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Das Tierlexikon ( Memento of the original from February 26, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 20, 2015
- ↑ a b Encyclopedia of Life , English, accessed January 20, 2015
- ↑ a b Wijbren Landmann: Butterflies: Encyclopedia. Naumann & Göbel, 2002, ISBN 3-625-10346-X
