Melete lycimnia
Appearance
Melete lycimnia | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Pieridae |
Genus: | Melete |
Species: | M. lycimnia
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Binomial name | |
Melete lycimnia | |
Synonyms | |
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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.[2]
The wingspan is 52–56 mm (2.0–2.2 in).[3] 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.[2]
The larvae probably feed on Loranthaceae species.[2]
Subspecies
The following subspecies are recognised:[1]
- 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)
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Melete lycimnia.
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Wikispecies has information related to Melete lycimnia.
- ^ a b Melete, Site of Markku Savela
- ^ a b c Butterflies of the Amazon and Andes
- ^ Parque Nacional Sangay (Ecuador)