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Butterflies of
the Andes
Telassina Firetip
Pyrrhopyge telassina
STAUDINGER, 1888
Family - HESPERIIDAE
subfamily -
PYRRHOPYGINAE
tribe - PYRRHOPYGINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Pyrrhopyge
telassina, Manu cloudforest, 1500m, Peru
Introduction
The
subfamily Pyrrhopyginae includes 163 known species, all of which are restricted
to the neotropical region.
The
butterflies are characterised by having a massive and muscular thorax, a large
head, and a conical abdomen with compressed segments. The wings of most species
are black, often with a metallic blue sheen.
Several genera, including
Jemadia and Elbella
have a pattern of hyaline "windows" on the forewings, and are marked with
stripes and bands of brilliant blue and white. Other genera such as Mysarbia, Mysoria
and Pyrrhopyge
lack the hyaline windows, and are characterised instead by having bright pink or
red markings on the head and / or on the tip of the abdomen.
The
38 species in the genus Pyrrhopyge are all similar in appearance
- the ground colour is blackish, usually with a slight bluish or bronzy sheen.
In most species the wing fringes are white, but in a few they are orange. All
species have a red "fire-tip" to the abdomen. In several species the head is
red, and in a few including telassina
there is a pair of prominent red or orange shoulder stripes on the thorax.
Pyrrhopyge telassina
occurs in Peru and Bolivia.
Pyrrhopyge
telassina, Manu cloudforest, 1500m, Peru
Habitats
This is a cloudforest species, found at altitudes between about 800-1800m.
Lifecycle
To be completed.
Adult behaviour
In August
2008 in Manu cloudforest I witnessed an aggregation of several
hundred of these splendid butterflies at the edge of a fast
flowing river. Most were clustered very tightly at the base of a
bridge, imbibing moisture from algae covered concrete. Only a few
ventured away from this feeding area, which also attracted
numerous other genera including
Phoebis,
Rhetus,
Lasaia,
Heraclides,
Perisama,
Eurema
and
Heliconius.
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