Interesting Facts
Description
Family Nymphalidae
'The Nymphalidae are members
of the Superfamily
Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. Distributed worldwide, butterflies of this family
are especially rich in the tropics. They are highly variable, and there are more species in this family than in any other. Adults
vary in size from small to large, and their front legs
are reduced, unable to be used for walking. Wing
shape
is also highly variable: some species have irregular margins
(anglewings and commas), and others have long taillike projections (daggerwings). Browns, oranges, yellows, and blacks are frequent colors, while iridescent
colors such as purples and blues are rare. Adults of some groups are the longest-lived butterflies, surviving 6-11 months. Adult feeding behavior depends on the species, where some groups primarily seek flower nectar while others only feed
on sap
flows
, rotting fruit, dung, or animal carcasses. Males exhibit
perching
and patrolling
behaviors when seeking mates. Egg-laying
varies widely, as some species lay eggs
in clustsers, others in columns, and others singly. Caterpillar appearance
and behavior vary widely. Brushfoots overwinter
as larvae or adults.
'[1]
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Protostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
()
- A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
()
- Cuvier
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
()
- Latreille, 1829
- Arthropods
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
()
- Snodgrass, 1938
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
()
- Heymons, 1901
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
()
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
()
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
()
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
()
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
()
- Superorder:
Panorpida
()
- Order:
Lepidoptera
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- Butterflies and Moths
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
()
- Family:
Nymphalidae
()
- Brushfooted Butterflies
- Subfamily:
Cyrestinae
()
- Subfamily:
Cyrestinae
(
- Family:
Nymphalidae
(
- Infraorder:
Heteroneura
(
- Order:
Lepidoptera
(
- Superorder:
Panorpida
(
- Cohort:
Myoglossata
(
- Infraclass:
Pterygota
(
- Subclass:
Dicondylia
(
- Epiclass:
Hexapoda
(
- Superclass:
Panhexapoda
(
- Infraphylum:
Atelocerata
(
- Subphylum:
Mandibulata
(
- Phylum:
Arthropoda
(
- Superphylum:
Panarthropoda
(
- Infrakingdom:
Ecdysozoa
(
- Branch:
Protostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Notes
Name Status: Accepted Name .
Similar Species
Members of the genus Marpesia
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 21 species and subspecies in this genus:
M. berania (Berania Daggerwing) · M. chiron (Many-Banded Daggerwing) · M. corinna (Corinna Daggerwing) · M. crethon (Crethon Daggerwing) · M. egina (Egina Daggerwing) · M. eleuchea (Antillean Daggerwing) · M. furcula (Furcula Daggerwing) · M. furcula oechalia (Furcula Oechalia Daggerwing) · M. furcula subsp. furcula (Furcula Daggerwing) · M. harmonia (Pale Daggerwing) · M. livius (Livius Daggerwing) · M. marcella (Marcella Daggerwing) · M. merops (Merops Daggerwing) · M. norica (Norica Daggerwing) · M. orsilochus (Orsilochus Daggerwing) · M. petreus (Ruddy Daggerwing) · M. themistocles (Themistocles Daggerwing) · M. themistocles subsp. norica (Themistocles Daggerwing) · M. tutelina (Tutelina Daggerwing) · M. zerynthia (Waiter Daggerwing) · M. zerynthia dentigera (Waiter Daggerwing)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 7672743
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-159702.0
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1566646
Footnotes
- http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=18&sci=Nymphalidae&com=Brush-footed Butterflies [back]
