Melete lycimnia

Melete lycimnia, the common melwhite, primrose flag or lycimnia white flag, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found from Texas in the United States to Bolivia. The habitat consists of lowland rainforests.[2]

Melete lycimnia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Genus: Melete
Species:
M. lycimnia
Binomial name
Melete lycimnia
(Cramer, [1777])[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio lycimnia Cramer, [1777]
  • Mylothris agrippina Hübner, [1819]
  • Papilio flippantha Fabricius, 1793
  • Pieris limnoria Godart, [1819]
  • Mylothris pantoporia Hübner, [1833]
  • Daptonura hübneri Butler, 1896
  • Melete lycimnia pantoporia f. fiora Fruhstorfer, 1907
  • Melete lycimnia pantoporia f. pertho Fruhstorfer, 1907
  • Pieris isandra Boisduval, 1836
  • Daptonoura isandra
  • Melete isandra kleta Fruhstorfer, 1907
  • Daptonura pedrosina Butler, 1877
  • Melete lycimnia iphigenia Fruhstorfer, 1907
  • Melete lycimnia marica Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Melete lycimnia donata f. bianca Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Melete lycimnia maeotis Fruhstorfer, 1907
  • Melete lycimnia donata Fruhstorfer, 1907
  • Melete eurymnia f. asta Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Melete lycimnia donata f. monica Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Melete lycimnia maeotis f. radiata Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Melete lycimnia myrtis Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Melete lycimnia donata f. pseudomyrtis Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Daptonoura calymnia ab. leucoptera Apolinar, 1926
  • Daptonura [sic] florinda var. monstrosa Butler, 1875
  • Daptonoura panamensis Staudinger, 1876
  • Daptonoura panamensis var. anceps Staudinger, 1876
  • Melete lycimnia aelia f. pistoria Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Daptonoura lycimnia f. semiobscurata Weymer, [1914]
  • Daptonoura palaestra var. equadorica Strand, 1916
  • Melete lycimnia gargaphia Fruhstorfer, 1907
  • Melete lycimnia gargaphia f. amarella Fruhstorfer, 1907
  • Melete lycimnia petronia f. daulia Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Melete lycimnia calymnia f. theodora Fruhtorfer, 1908
  • Daptonoura lycimnia f. paula Röber, 1909
  • Melete lycimnia marica f. moesia Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Melete lycimnia aelia f. napona Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Melete lycimnia maeotis f. velia Fruhstorfer, 1908
  • Melete lycimnia narmia f. othoca Fruhstorfer, 1910

The wingspan is 52–56 mm (2.0–2.2 in).[3] The appearance of the adults depends on the subspecies and ranges from a white ground colour, narrow black borders, and a yellow spot at the base of the hindwings (M. l. peruviana) to primrose yellow, with wide brown borders (M. l. lycimnia). In all subspecies, females are more yellowish.[2]

The larvae probably feed on Loranthaceae species.[2]

Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognised:[1]

  • M. l. lycimnia (Suriname)
  • M. l. flippantha (Fabricius, 1793) (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais)
  • M. l. isandra (Boisduval, 1836) (Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica)
  • M. l. peruviana (Lucas, 1852) (Peru, Bolivia, Brazil: Amazonas)
  • M. l. aelia (C. & R. Felder, 1861) (Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia)
  • M. l. eurymnia (C. & R. Felder, 1865) (Colombia)
  • M. l. monstrosa (Butler, 1875) (Panama)
  • M. l. chagris (Staudinger, 1876) (Panama)
  • M. l. harti (Butler, 1896) (Trinidad)
  • M. l. latilimbata (Butler, 1896) (Ecuador)
  • M. l. petronia Fruhstorfer, 1907 (Brazil: Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul)
  • M. l. phazania Fruhstorfer, 1907 (Brazil: Bahia)
  • M. l. theodori Fruhstorfer, 1907 (Brazil: Amazonas)
  • M. l. paulista Fruhstorfer, 1908 (Brazil: São Paulo)
  • M. l. napona (Röber, 1909) (Ecuador, Peru)
  • M. l. narmia Fruhstorfer, 1910 (Brazil: Mato Grosso)

References
  1. Melete, Site of Markku Savela
  2. Butterflies of the Amazon and Andes
  3. Parque Nacional Sangay (Ecuador)


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