Subject: Swordtail From Peru
Location: Aguas Calientes, Peru
November 26, 2012 3:53 pm
Hey there Bugman
I was soaking in the hot springs at Aguas Calientes, Peru, just outside of Machupicchu yesterday when we saw this gorgeous Swordtail drinking water left by wet footprints. He was very friendly! What kind of bug is a transparent winged butterfly?? I knew you’d have the answer!
Thanks again!!
Your friend, Julie
Signature: offthegridinperu
Hi Julie,
This is our first posting since returning from a Thanksgiving holiday and we are already running late our first day back, so there might be some factual errors. Your subject line indicates that you have already identified this Swordtail Butterfly, but the body of the email indicates you don’t know the identity. This is a Swordtail Butterfly in the Metalmark family Riodinidae, and it looks very similar but not identical to this Swordtail we posted from Argentina several years ago. We suspect it is in the same genus, Chorinea, but that it may be a different species.