Cyrestis nivea

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

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]

Habitat

Biome: Terrestrial [2].

Ecology: This species inhabits primary and secondary rainforest. It is a conspicuous insect and flies with rapid wing beats interspersed by gliding, a flight characteristic of the genus, often high in the trees . The insect is most frequently observed at forest margins , or along water courses . Adults frequently settle on the undersides of leaves and males occasionally imbibe moisture from creek beds (W.J. Tennent and C.J. Muller pers. comm. 2009).[2].

List of Habitats :

•     1     Forest   
  
•     1.6     Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland   
  
•     1.9     Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane   
[more info]

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

There are several recognized subspecies of this butterfly (W.J. Tennent and C.J. Muller pers. comm. 2009).[2].

Similar Species

Members of the genus Cyrestis

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 2 species and subspecies in this genus:

C. nivea (Straight Line Mapwing) · C. themire (The Little Mapwing)

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

• Butterflies. Vol. I-II. / Calcutta and Simla, Taylor and Francis;1905-1907. url p. 351.
• Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. London: Academic Press, [etc.], 1833-1965. url p. 282, p. 282, p. 363, p. 363, p. 482, p. 822.
• Rhopalocera Malayana: a description of the butterflies of the Malay peninsula / by W.L. Distant. London: W.L. Distant, 1882-86. url p. 140.
• The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 3 1888 Bombay: The Society, url p. 22.
• The butterflies of India, Burmah and Ceylon. A descriptive handbook of all the known species of rhopalocerous Lepidoptera inhabiting that region, with notices of allied species occurring in the neighbouring countries along the border; with numer By Major G.F.L. Marshall. .. and Lionel de Nicéville. .. The illustrations drawn by Babu Gris Chunder Chuckerbutty and Babu Behari Lall Dass. The wood engravings by George Pearson. The autotype plates Calcutta: Central Press Co., ld., 1882-90. url p. 252, p. 253.
• Transactions of the Entomological Society of London. London, The Society. url p. 285.
• Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. London: [The Society], 1879- url p. 545.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 31, 2012.
• Muller, C.J. & Tennent, W.J. 2011. Cyrestis nivea. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 31January2012.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2973033
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Lep-159167.0
• IUCN ID: 204189
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1566103

Footnotes

1. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/taxonomy?f=18&sci=Nymphalidae&com=Brush-footed Butterflies [back]
2. Muller, C.J. & Tennent, W.J. 2011. Cyrestis nivea. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 31 January 2012. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.