Category Archives: Butterflies and Skippers   rss

Regal Hairstreak from Mexico

Butterfly?
Location: Mexico, Puerto Vallarta (west coast)
February 1, 2012 5:55 pm
I saw this amazing little colourful thing the other day, watering flowers..(it is dry season here now) and got some good pictures of it. but i would really like to know what this is.. never seen anything like it!
Signature: Nathali

regal hairstreak mexico nathali 300x223 Regal Hairstreak from Mexico

Regal Hairstreak

Dear Nathali,
What a positively gorgeous butterfly this is, and we have identified it as a Regal Hairstreak,
Evenus regalis, thanks to an online photo by Nelson Dobbs that alas does not do the colors justice.  The Butterflies of America website has some lovely photos of Regal Hairstreaks that were photographed in Guatemala and Mexico.  

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Long Tailed Skipper

Unknown Moth
Location: Jacksonville, FL
January 29, 2012 10:33 pm
Dear Bugman,
I found this lovely moth, in a screened patio. It has a lovely subtle green shade on the body and rear wings. I thought it would be easily identified by the ”tail”, but I’m proving myself wrong. :}
I love finding and photographing insects!!
Signature: Dan

longtailed skipper dan 300x283 Long Tailed Skipper

Long Tailed Skipper

Hi Dan,
Though it looks somewhat moth-like, the Long Tailed Skipper
Urbanus proteus, is actually a butterfly.  Skippers are generally considered to be a transitional species between butterflies and moths, though they are classified as butterflies.

longtailed skipper dan 2 300x213 Long Tailed Skipper

Long Tailed Skipper

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Mating Common Checkered Skippers

What is this butterflies called
Location: Austin, Texas
January 24, 2012 9:54 am
I have taken a picture of two butterflies and will like to know what kind are they, and if they are mating or are co-joined together. thank you for your help
Signature: Mauricio Alvarez

checkered skippers mating mauricio 300x214 Mating Common Checkered Skippers

Checkered Skippers Mating

Dear Mauricio,
These Common Checkered Skippers, Pyrgus communis, which we believe we correctly identified on BugGuide, are in fact mating.
  BugGuide indicates:  “Larvae feed on mallows (Malvaceae), including Althea, Abutilon, Malva.  Adults take nectar.”  Thanks for sending these great photos, and we are especially happy that you show both the upper and under views of the wings.

checkered skippers mating mauricio 2 300x214 Mating Common Checkered Skippers

Mating Common Checkered Skippers

Thank you very much for your help. Feel free to use those pictures in your website.
Mauricio

What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Monarch

Monarch?
Location: Jacksonville FL
January 23, 2012 10:01 am
Found this one in an enclosed patio. After photographing, I set it free.
Very pretty!
Sorry for the screen being in the way of the under shot.
Signature: Danno

monarch danno 300x150 Monarch

Monarch

Dear Danno,
You are absolutely correct.  Furthermore, your Monarch is a female.  The sexes can be distinguished by a the scent scale patches on the lower wings of the male, which appear as a dark spot on the black vein close to the body which is visible in the lower butterfly in this mating pair of Monarchs from our archive.  The Monarch is also known as a Milkweed Butterfly.  Monarchs are famous for their seasonal migrations and places like Pismo Beachhave turned Monarch roosting locations into tourist attractions.

monarch danno 2 300x173 Monarch

Monarch

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Common Palmfly Caterpillar and Adult from Singapore

Common Palmfly
Location: Singapore
January 21, 2012 10:24 pm
Hi there, i just thought that you might appreciate these pictures of common palmfly caterpillars and butlerflies that ive been nurturing on my roof.
i absolutely love this website, as i am constantly fascinated by bugs icon smile Common Palmfly Caterpillar and Adult from Singapore
Signature: Cassia

common palmfly cat singapore cassia 300x206 Common Palmfly Caterpillar and Adult from Singapore

Common Palmfly

Dear Cassia,
Thank you so much for submitting your photos of a Common Palmfly Caterpillar and adult Butterfly,
Elymnias hypermnestra agina.  We were able to locate a link on the Butterflies of Singapore website where it is stated: “Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:   The Common Palmfly is the most widespread species of its genus in the Indo-Australian region. Locally, it is also a rather common species with widespread occurrence across multiple habitats. Typically the adults are shade-loving, and usually sighted flying along the edge of vegetated area and in the vicinity of a clump of palm trees. The adults have the habit of puddling and visiting flowers for mineral and energy intakes.”  The information provided on the Butterflies of Singapore websiteis very comprehensive, including a list of known larval food plants in the palm family like the cocoanut palm and fishtail palm.

common palmfly singapore cassia 300x283 Common Palmfly Caterpillar and Adult from Singapore

Newly Metamorphosed Common Palmfly

 

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Swordtail Butterfly from Argentina: Chorinea octauius

like from a scrap book, no?
Location: Misiones/Argentina (Iguacu national park)
January 19, 2012 12:56 pm
This is a beautiful butterfly I was able to get a shot in Iguacu, Argentina. It was 2 inch or so. Did not find it’s name on the net. Can you help?
Signature: Jutta

swordtail butterfly argentina jutta 274x300 Swordtail Butterfly from Argentina:  Chorinea octauius

Swordtail Butterfly

Dear Jutta,
This butterfly is positively stunning.  We had hoped it would not be too difficult to identify, and we started by doing a word search of “clearwing swallowtail (though we knew it was not Papilionidae) Peru (we read your location too quickly)” and after scouring many photos, we found a close but not perfect match FlickR that was called a Swordtail, but no species name.  Then we substituted Swordtail for Swallowtail and we found Morton Ross’ website and a lovely photo identified as the Octauius Swordtail,
Chorinea octauius.  Armed with a scientific name, we found no shortage of images of this beauty on the internet, including some photos from Panama on the Neotropical Butterflies website, though we were still not sure of the family classification.  Though we don’t like to cite Wikipedia as a source, it was Wikipedia that provided the family name Riodinidae, and we have created a new subcategory for Swordtails on our site.  Thanks for providing us with a challenging identification.  We did locate another member from the family in our archives so your beauty will not be classified alone.  We also learned that the family is commonly called Metalmarks.

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Colorful Transparent: Parnassus Butterfly from Israel

Butterfly in Israel
Location: Zippori stream, Israel
January 4, 2012 10:02 am
Hello Bug people!
I was on a hike in Northern Israel last weekend (a great way to see off the old year and start the new), and during the hike I saw a couple of these butterflies playing around. I was lucky enought to shoot one of them just before it flew off.
Quick research tells me it is an Archon apollinus bellargus, of the papilionoidae family. A loose translation of its Hebrew name is the ’Colorful Transparent’.
Enjoy!
Signature: Ben

colorful transparent israel ben 300x206 Colorful Transparent:  Parnassus Butterfly from Israel

Archon apollinus bellargus

Dear Ben,
We are positively thrilled to receive your image of the Colorful Transparent.  We were struck by its resemblance to members of the genus
Parnassus, sometimes called Apollo Butterflies, which sad to say are highly sought by collectors and becoming endangered in their high altitude habitats in the Palaearctic.  We suspect that they are taxonomically quite close to this lovely member of the same family.  We found support for your identification on TrekNature which states:  “One of the most primitive species of Papilionidae in Israel. It is the only specie in Israel which is active in the winter. its upper wings are bit transparent.”  It is also pictured on the Tree of Life website which states:  “Larvae of A. apollinus feed on species of Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae).”

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Monarchs hatch from Christmas Tree

Christmas tree
January 9, 2012
Location:  This is in Jacksonville, Florida, on the banks of the beautiful St Johns River.
Hi Bugman,
I don’t remember if I sent this photo to you but even if I did, it’s worth a rerun.
Happy New Year,
Lane

christmas tree monarchs lane 300x267 Monarchs hatch from Christmas Tree

Monarchs Hatch from Christmas Tree

Happy New Year Lane,
What a marvelous follow-up to your awesome Monarch Chrysalis Christmas Tree.  Thanks so much for the update.

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