Pierella nereis

Pierella nereis
Illustration by Dru Drury
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Subfamily:	Satyrinae
Tribe:	Haeterini
Genus:	Pierella
Species:	P. nereis
Binomial name
Pierella nereis (Drury, 1782)
Synonyms
Papilio nereis Drury, 1782

Pierella nereis is a butterfly species from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. It was first described by Dru Drury in 1782 from Brazil.^[1]

Description

Upper Side. Antennae black. Head, thorax, abdomen grey-brown. Anterior wings grey-brown, thin, and slightly diaphanous, with a small light-coloured bar running from the anterior edge near the tips to the posterior. Posterior wings having one-third next the body grey-brown, divided by a line drawn across the wings from the anterior to the abdominal edges; next to this is an angulated white patch, the rest of these wings being orange-coloured, with two black eyes, having white centres, placed one at the upper, the other at the abdominal corners, the former having a small white spot joining to its upper part. The edges of these wings are bordered with dark brown.

Under Side. Palpi, legs, breast, and abdomen cream-coloured. Anterior wings next the tips tinged with red-brown; the remainder of the wings being of the same colour as on the upper side. Posterior wings next the body pale clay, which occupies half the wings; below which is a white bar, the remainder of the wings being dark orange: the two black eyes are very small on this side, and the white spot above them not so distinct. These wings are larger than is generally observed among insects of this tribe, and are dentated, the anterior ones being entire. Wing-span 3 inches (76 mm).^[2]

References

1. J. Ollerenshaw (2011). "nereis Drury 1782". LepIndex. Natural History Museum. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
2. Drury, Dru (1837). Westwood, John, ed. Illustrations of Exotic Entomology 3. p. 47. pl. XXXV.