Butterflies of
the Amazon rainforest
Glauce Leafwing
Memphis glauce
FELDER &
FELDER, 1862
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
CHARAXINAE
Tribe - ANAEINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Memphis
glauce, Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
( image
courtesy © Peter Bruce-Jones )
Introduction
The
tribe Anaeini comprises of 87 neotropical species in the genera
Coenophlebia,
Consul,
Anaea,
Polygrapha,
Memphis,
Siderone,
Fountainea
and
Zaretis.
The butterflies are characterised by having a very
rapid and strong flight. They have stout bodies, falcate wings, and on the upper
surface are generally black, marked with bands of orange, bright red, or
lustrous blue according to species. The undersides of all species in the Anaeini
are cryptically patterned in mottled brown tones, and bear a very strong
resemblance to dead leaves.
The
genus Memphis
includes 60 species, all restricted to the neotropical region. The forewings
of all species have a falcate apex, and a concave dorsum. In many
species the tornus of the forewing is very strongly hooked.
Males of all Memphis
species are black or dark chocolate brown on the uppersides, with extensive metallic blue or turquoise scaling over the
basal half of the wings, and usually with additional blue spots or bands in the subapical area. Females are generally very similar, but usually a different
shade of blue-green than their male counterparts, and often have short tails on
the hindwings. In the case of glauce,
moruus, arginussa and
several other species, both sexes are tailed. In one species
philumena the females have broad orange diagonal
bands on the forewings. The most spectacular species is
Memphis anna from Colombia - both sexes are brilliant metallic sapphire
blue, with a broad scarlet band on the forewings of the male, and a bright
orange patch in the female.
Memphis glauce is a common species found throughout the Amazonian region.
Habitats
This species occurs in rainforest at elevations between sea level and about 800m.
Lifecycle
The eggs are smooth,
globular, and laid singly on leaves of the foodplant.
The larval foodplants are unknown, but are
likely to be in the families Piperaceae, Euphorbiaceae or Lauraceae. Larvae of
all Memphis species are
cylindrical, tapering towards the bifid tail, and covered with tiny granulations
or very short bristles. They are typically green or brown, marked with a series
of fine longitudinal lines. The head is large, and bears a crown of short
pointed tubercles. When small, the larvae make frass-chains ( chains of dried
droppings ) on the tips of leaves. When older
they live within leaf tubes made from rolled up leaves bound together with silk,
and only emerge when feeding.
The
chrysalis of all species is stocky and barrel-shaped, with a very large thoracic
section, and highly compressed abdominal segments. It is typically green or
brownish, lightly marbled, and is suspended by the cremaster from a leaf or
stem.
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Memphis
glauce, Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
( image
courtesy © Peter Bruce-Jones ) |
Adult behaviour
Like all
Memphis species this butterfly is
strongly attracted
to rotting fruit and other decaying matter on the forest floor. It
is typically encountered
in damp semi-shaded situations, and is sometimes seen basking on
foliage where dappled sunlight filters through the canopy. At such
times it is nervous of intruders, and if disturbed will fly up to settle on nearby foliage at a height of about 2
or 3 metres.
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