Mestra (butterfly)
| Mestra | |
|---|---|
_female.JPG) | |
| Female M. d. dorcas, Jamaica | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Subfamily: | Biblidinae |
| Tribe: | Biblidini |
| Genus: | Mestra Hübner, [1825] |
| Species: | M. dorcas |
| Binomial name | |
| Mestra dorcas (Fabricius, 1775) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Genus:
Species:
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Mestra is a genus of nymphalid butterfly. It contains the Jamaican Mestra (Mestra dorcas), which is found from southern North America to South America and the St Lucia Mestra, (Mestra cana) found in the Lesser Antilles.[1]
The wingspan is 35–50 mm. The upperside is gray-white to light brown. There is a median row of white spots and an orange marginal band on the hindwings. The underside is pale orange with white markings. Adults are on wing year round in southern Texas, but it is most numerous from June to November. They have been recorded feeding on the nectar of Lantana flowers.[2]
The larvae feed on Tragia neptifolia. I believe this should be Tragia nepetifolia.
Subspecies
Listed alphabetically.[1]
- M. d. amymone (Ménétriés, 1857) (Louisiana to southern Texas and in Nicaragua, Costa Rica) – Amymone
- M. d. apicalis (Staudinger, 1886) (Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil: São Paulo, Goiás, Pará)
- M. d. dorcas Hübner, [1825] (Jamaica)
- M. d. hersilia (Fabricius, 1777) (Guyana, Colombia, St. Lucia, Trinidad)
- M. d. hypermestra Hübner, [1825] (Brazil: Pará, Paraguay)
- M. d. latimargo (Hall, 1929) (Ecuador)
- M. d. semifulva (C. & R. Felder, 1867) (Colombia)
References
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.