Catonephele numilia

Catonephele numilia, the blue-frosted banner, blue-frosted Catone, Grecian shoemaker or stoplight Catone, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae found in Central and South America.

Catonephele numilia
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Catonephele
Species:
C. numilia
Binomial name
Catonephele numilia
(Cramer, [1775])[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio numilia Cramer, [1775]
  • Papilio micalia Cramer, 1777 (preocc.)
  • Epicalia esite R. Felder, 1869

Description
Dorsal view of a female C. n. esite

There is sexual dimorphism in the adults, with the males being black with six orange dots on the dorsal surface of the wings, whereas females are black with a light yellow band across the centre of the forewings. This butterfly usually flies along the ground and close to the ripe fruits and flowers. It can live a month. Adults feed on rotten fruits, while caterpillars feed on Alchornea species (family Euphorbiaceae).

Distribution

Catonephele numilia can be found in most of Central and South America.

Subspecies
  • Catonephele numilia numilia (Suriname)
  • Catonephele numilia penthia (Hewitson, 1852) (Brazil)
  • Catonephele numilia esite (R. Felder, 1869) (Mexico to Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Trinidad) – synonym of Catonephele numilia penthiana Staudinger, 1886
  • Catonephele numilia neogermanica Stichel, 1899 (Paraguay, Brazil)
  • Catonephele numilia immaculata Jenkins, 1985 (Mexico)
  • Male, mounted, upperside
  • Male, mounted, underside
  • Female, mounted, upperside
  • Female, mounted, underside

References
  1. Catonephele at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  • Tree of Life
  • DeVries, P.J. (1987) The Butterflies of Costa Rica and their Natural History, Princeton University Press, Princeton
  • Lamas, G., Ed. (2004) Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera. Gainesville, Scientific Publishers/Association of Tropical Lepidoptera.


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