Melete lycimnia explained
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.[1]
The wingspan is 52mm56mm.[2] 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.[1]
The larvae probably feed on Loranthaceae species.[1]
Subspecies
The following subspecies are recognised:
- 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)
Notes and References
- http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Amazon%20-%20Melete%20lycimnia.htm Butterflies of the Amazon and Andes
- http://www.sangay.eu/ficha-principale.php?lang=en&ref=52 Parque Nacional Sangay (Ecuador)
