Melanis marathon

Interesting Facts

Description

Family Riodinidae

'The Riodinidae are members of the Superfamily Papilionoidea, the true butterflies. They typically thrive in the tropical latitudes , especially those of the Americas, and approximately 1,300 species are known. Small to medium in size, metalmarks vary widely in their patterns , behavior, and postures. Males have reduced front legs that are not used for walking, and females have three pairs of walking legs. Adults usually perch with their wings spread open or cocked slightly, while many tropical species habitually perch upside down on large leaves. Males locate mates by perching , rather than patrolling . Egg shape varies widely, but caterpillars are typically slug-shaped. Metalmarks overwinter in the larval or pupal stage.

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Taxonomy

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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 ()
        Class: Insecta () - C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
        Subclass: Dicondylia ()
        Infraclass: Pterygota ()
        Cohort: Myoglossata ()
        Order: Lepidoptera () - Linnaeus, 1758 - Butterflies and Moths
        Infraorder: Heteroneura ()
        Family: Riodinidae () - Metalmarks
        Genus: Melanis () - Hübner, 1819
        Specific name: marathon - (Stichel)
        Scientific name: - Melanis marathon (Stichel)