Marpesia zerynthia
| Marpesia zerynthia | |
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| Adult perched on a leaf in the Andes mountains of Venezuela, approximately 1000 meters asl | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Marpesia |
| Species: | M. zerynthia |
| Binomial name | |
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Marpesia zerynthia Hübner, [1823] |
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| Synonyms | |
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Marpesia zerynthia, the waiter daggerwing, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae that occurs in, and somewhat north and south of Mesoamerica.
The distribution of Marpesia zerynthia is limited to the Neotropical realm. More specifically, it is known to occur in the South American countries of Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and northern Brazil. It also occurs in Mesoamerica, including central Mexico, and vagrants may rarely be observed as far north as Texas, United States. This species inhabits tropical deciduous and evergreen forests, and may be observed in openings. Marpesia zerynthia occurs at altitudes up to 2,400 m. It is generally a cloud-forest species, and so it is most common between approximately 800 to 1,800 m.
Eggs are laid singly on the leaves of trees and shrubs in the family Moraceae, which includes the genera Ficus (figs), Chlorophora, Brosimum and . Conical in shape, the eggs have 11 vertical ribs, as well as many less prominent horizontal ribs. The horizontal ribs are spaced further apart from each other, the further they are from the top of the egg. A micropyle is located at the very top. The egg is red when first laid, but it eventually becomes black before eclosion.
After eclosion, the young caterpillar is generally cylindrical, lacking in ornamentation on the head or body. The head capsule is lustrous black, and the remainder of the body is a transparent pale green color. The mature caterpillar is quite colorful, usually marked with yellow and/or red stripes and spots. A single row of unbranched spines runs along the back. The head is decorated with a pair of very long spines. The larvae feed on leaves of the plant on which they were laid. The larvae rest on the upper surface of the foliage, and feed diurnally. They are indiscriminately intolerant of the presence of any intruder, even of other larvae of the same species. As a defense mechanism, when disturbed the larva will violently move its spiny head from one side to the other until the disturbance ceases.
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Wikipedia