Tithorea tarricina

Tithorea tarricina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Tribe: Ithomiini
Subtribe: Tithoreina
Genus: Tithorea
Species: T. tarricina
Binomial name
Tithorea tarricina
Hewitson, 1858
Synonyms
  • Tithorea duenna Bates, 1864
  • Tithorea anachoreta Thieme, 1903
  • Tithorea pinthias Godman & Salvin, 1878
  • Tithorea monosticta Godman & Salvin, 1897
  • Hirsutis pinthias f. macasica Niepelt, 1915
  • Tithorea pinthias melini Bryk, 1953

The Tarricina Longwing, Variable Presonian,[1] or Cream-spotted Tigerwing (Tithorea tarricina) is a species of butterflies belonging to the Nymphalidae family.

Description

The golden chrysalis of Tithorea tarricina

Tithorea tarricina has a wingspan reaching about 75–80 millimetres (3.0–3.1 in), with a forewing of about 40 millimetres (1.6 in). The pattern of the wings is quite variable. Usually the dorsal sides of the forewings are black with white spots, while the hindwings are orange with black margins. The underside are similar, with many small white spots along the black margins. The antennae are black. The beautiful chrysalides are completely golden.

Distribution

This quite uncommon species is present in Mexico and in Central and South America.

Habitat

Tithorea tarricina can be found at the edges of forested areas in lowlands and mountain slopes, at an elevation up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) above sea level. The host plants are in the genus Prestonia (mainly Prestonia longifolia and Prestonia portabellensisApocynaceae family).

Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognised:[2]

References

Wikispecies has information related to: Tithorea tarricina
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tithorea tarricina.
  1. Glassberg, Jeffrey. (2007). A Swift Guide to Butterflies of Mexico and Central America. Sunstreak Books Inc. p.144.
  2. Tithorea tarricina, at funet.fi

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, November 08, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.