25-3-2017 TUIS CARTAGO, COSTA RICA - BANDED PEACOCK BUTTERFLY (Anartia fatima)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anartia_fatima

26-3-2017 CATIE CENTER, COSTA RICA - BANDED PEACOCK BUTTERFLY (Anartia fatima)

Anartia fatima, the banded peacock, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is commonly found in south Texas, Mexico, and Central America but most studied in Costa Rica. This butterfly prefers subtropical climates and moist areas, such as near rivers. It spends much of its time in second-growth woodlands.

Its larvae feed on plants in the family Acanthaceae, while adults primarily feed on flower nectar from Acanthus species. The species is diurnal. These butterflies face interspecies competition for nectar with other butterflies and must also compete with hummingbirds, who will chase them away.

The eggs are laid in low-lying host plant leaves and flower bracts. Several hundred are laid by a single female within the span of a few days, with only a small percentage of the eggs surviving to adulthood. Eggs take five days to hatch and the larvae complete six instar phases before pupation. After pupation is complete, adults emerge and fly off within 1–2 hours.

This butterfly is not toxic to predators. It is the victim of predation by many bird, lizard, frog, and arthropod species. However, this butterfly is so ubiquitous that losses from predation do not endanger the species.

.

Although Anartia fatima has been recorded once as far north as Kansas, its range generally begins in southern Texas and continues south through Mexico and all of Central America and Panama. It is ubiquitous throughout its range. In South America, A. fatima is no longer found and a closely related species, Anartia amathea, becomes prevalent.

This butterfly prefers subtropical open areas and previously disturbed places, such as second-growth areas, from sea level to 1,500 meters. Its host plants of preference are herbaceous and are primarily restricted to the species in a single family, Acanthaceae. Some common examples of its host plants are Blechum, Justicia, Dicliptera, and Ruellia. The banded peacock exists in extensive tracts of forest in small populations along the banks of rivers. This suggests that individuals disperse across long distances.

From late morning until early afternoon, males perch on low vegetation and chase other male butterflies away from their territory. The males fly in a slow zig-zag pattern between 0.3 and 0.6 meters above ground to patrol the area around their territory and seek females. In this territory, the male will search for mates and receive most of his nutritional requirements from flowers.

26-3-2017 RANCHO NATURALISTA - BANDED PEACOCK BUTTERFLY (Anartia fatima)