Biology:Melete lycimnia

Short description: Species of butterfly

Melete lycimnia
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pieridae
Genus:	Melete
Species:	M. lycimnia
Binomial name
Melete lycimnia (Cramer, [1777])
Synonyms
Papilio lycimnia Cramer, [1777] Mylothris agrippina Hübner, [1819] Papilio flippantha Fabricius, 1793 Pieris limnoria Godart, [1819] Mylothris pantoporia Hübner, [1833] Daptonura hübneri Butler, 1896 Melete lycimnia pantoporia f. fiora Fruhstorfer, 1907 Melete lycimnia pantoporia f. pertho Fruhstorfer, 1907 Pieris isandra Boisduval, 1836 Daptonoura isandra Melete isandra kleta Fruhstorfer, 1907 Daptonura pedrosina Butler, 1877 Melete lycimnia iphigenia Fruhstorfer, 1907 Melete lycimnia marica Fruhstorfer, 1908 Melete lycimnia donata f. bianca Fruhstorfer, 1908 Melete lycimnia maeotis Fruhstorfer, 1907 Melete lycimnia donata Fruhstorfer, 1907 Melete eurymnia f. asta Fruhstorfer, 1908 Melete lycimnia donata f. monica Fruhstorfer, 1908 Melete lycimnia maeotis f. radiata Fruhstorfer, 1908 Melete lycimnia myrtis Fruhstorfer, 1908 Melete lycimnia donata f. pseudomyrtis Fruhstorfer, 1908 Daptonoura calymnia ab. leucoptera Apolinar, 1926 Daptonura [sic] florinda var. monstrosa Butler, 1875 Daptonoura panamensis Staudinger, 1876 Daptonoura panamensis var. anceps Staudinger, 1876 Melete lycimnia aelia f. pistoria Fruhstorfer, 1908 Daptonoura lycimnia f. semiobscurata Weymer, [1914] Daptonoura palaestra var. equadorica Strand, 1916 Melete lycimnia gargaphia Fruhstorfer, 1907 Melete lycimnia gargaphia f. amarella Fruhstorfer, 1907 Melete lycimnia petronia f. daulia Fruhstorfer, 1908 Melete lycimnia calymnia f. theodora Fruhtorfer, 1908 Daptonoura lycimnia f. paula Röber, 1909 Melete lycimnia marica f. moesia Fruhstorfer, 1908 Melete lycimnia aelia f. napona Fruhstorfer, 1908 Melete lycimnia maeotis f. velia Fruhstorfer, 1908 Melete lycimnia narmia f. othoca Fruhstorfer, 1910

Melete lycimnia, the common melwhite, primrose flag or lycimnia white flag, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is found from Texas in the United States to Bolivia. The habitat consists of lowland rainforests.

The wingspan is 52–56 mm (2.0–2.2 in). The appearance of the adults depends on the subspecies and ranges from a white ground colour, narrow black borders, and a yellow spot at the base of the hindwings (M. l. peruviana) to primrose yellow, with wide brown borders (M. l. lycimnia). In all subspecies, females are more yellowish.

The larvae probably feed on Loranthaceae species.

Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognised:

• M. l. lycimnia (Suriname)
• M. l. flippantha (Fabricius, 1793) (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais)
• M. l. isandra (Boisduval, 1836) (Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica)
• M. l. peruviana (Lucas, 1852) (Peru, Bolivia, Brazil: Amazonas)
• M. l. aelia (C. & R. Felder, 1861) (Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia)
• M. l. eurymnia (C. & R. Felder, 1865) (Colombia)
• M. l. monstrosa (Butler, 1875) (Panama)
• M. l. chagris (Staudinger, 1876) (Panama)
• M. l. harti (Butler, 1896) (Trinidad)
• M. l. latilimbata (Butler, 1896) (Ecuador)
• M. l. petronia Fruhstorfer, 1907 (Brazil: Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul)
• M. l. phazania Fruhstorfer, 1907 (Brazil: Bahia)
• M. l. theodori Fruhstorfer, 1907 (Brazil: Amazonas)
• M. l. paulista Fruhstorfer, 1908 (Brazil: São Paulo)
• M. l. napona (Röber, 1909) (Ecuador, Peru)
• M. l. narmia Fruhstorfer, 1910 (Brazil: Mato Grosso)

References

Wikidata ☰ Q6812198 entry