Fresh Sheet - October 16, 2009

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.



El Salvador

10 - Anteos maerula (Ghost sulfur)
15 - Battus belus (Belus Swallowtail)
15 - Caligo memnon (Owl Butterfly)
08 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
20 - Consul fabius (Tiger Leafwing)
20 - Doxocopa laure (Silver Emperor)
10 - Heliconius charitonius (Zebra Longwing)
20 - Heliconius erato (Small Postman)
09 - Heliconius hecale (Tiger Longwing)
20 - Heliconius ismenius (Ismenius Longwing)
80 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
20 - Morpho polyphemus (White Morpho)
15 - Myscelia cyaniris (Blue Wave Butterfly)
30 - Myscelia ethusa (Royal Blue Butterfly)
10 - Papilio erostratus (Dusky Swallowtail)
30 - Papilio pilumnus (Three-tailed Swallowtail)
10 - Phoebis philea (Orange Barred Sulfur)
10 - Prepona omphale (Blue Belly-Button)

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Fresh Sheet - October 9, 2009

“Fresh Sheet” is our weekly shipment report of pupae on display in the emerging window. Visit Pacific Science Center’s Tropical Butterfly House and meet our newest residents.


Costa Rica

07 - Agraulis vanilla (Gulf Fritllary)
09 - Anartia fatima (Banded Peacock)
08 - Anteos chlorinde (White Angled Sulphur)
07 - Archeoprepona demophon (One-spotted Prepona)
17 - Battus polydamas (Polydamus Swallowtail)
21 - Caligo atreus (Yellow-Edged Giant-Owl)
14 - Caligo eurilochus (Forest Giant Owl)
07 - Catonephele numilia (Numilia)
07 - Catonephele orites (Orange-banded shoemaker)
34 - Danaus plexippus (The Monarch)
34 - Dryadula phaetusa (Banded Orange Heliconian)
21 - Dryas iulia (Julia Longwing)
07 - Eueides isabella (Isabella’s Longwing)
18 - Heliconius doris (Doris Longwing)
11 - Heliconius erato (Small Postman)
25 - Heliconius hecale (Tiger Longwing)
35 - Heliconius ismenius (Ismenius Longwing)
10 - Heliconius melpomene (Postman)
07 - Heliconius sara (Sara Longwing)
21 - Heraclides anchisiades (Ruby-spotted Swallowtail)
07 - Hypna clytemnestra (Silver-studded Leafwing)
35 - Morpho peleides (Blue Morpho)
11 - Nessaea aglaura (Aglaura Olivewing)
13 - Papilio polyxenes (Black Swallowtail)
07 - Parides childrenae (Green-celled Cattleheart)
11 - Parides iphidamas (Iphidamas or Transandean Cattleheart)
10 - Siproeta epaphus (Rusty-tipped Page)
15 - Siproeta stelenes (Malachite)
02 - Tithorea tarricina (Cream-Spotted Clearwing)

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August Butterfly of the Month

Myscelia

• Range: Southern United States to tropical South America


• Although there are 24 different species in the genus Myscelia, our Tropical Butterfly House only flies two: M. ethusa (Royal Blue) and M. cyaniris (Blue Wave). M. ethusa is notably brighter with a very intense, iridescent blue coloration.


• The males of this genus are often found perched on tree trunks. They may also mistake people for tree trunks and land on them as well. Females are quite active during the middle of the day. However, neither male nor female are capable of flying long distances.


• If you're able to spot a Myscelia at rest, you may notice that they close their forewings into their hindwings, forming a trianle. These butterflies are so compact that they are almost invisible! This is another good reason to check yourself closely before you leave the Tropical Butterfly House.

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July Butterfly of the Month

Parthenos sylvia
The Clipper

Range: India east through southeast Asia and New Guinea

• More than any other species, the clipper is found near water. They often congregate near our ponds or on spots on the floor where the sprinkler got a little carried away. This is similar to their behavior in the wild, where they frequently drink from streams in deep forest cover.


• Many butterflies bask with open wings but P. sylvia rest with their wings open so frequently that some visitors believe they are moths. However, holding the wings open is not a reliable way to tell butterflies from moths. The clipper is in fact a butterfly.


• Rarely but strikingly, we may have two color phases of this butterfly at the same time. We get our brown clippers from the Philippines and the blue variety from Malaysia. There are other color variations including a bronzy-green variety found in India. Because they evolved on islands and in forest areas isolated by mountains, different colors became dominant in different places. There is little overlap of coloration in the wild.

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June Butterfly of the Month

Prepona omphale

Range: Mexico to Amazon Basin

• In the wild, Prepona omphale rarely go to the forest floor, even feeding on fruits in the canopy section of the rain forest. However, in our Tropical Butterfly House they are happy to eat at the fruit dishes near the floor.


• With a unique flight pattern, Prepona omphale's wing muscles are powerful allowing it to make very fast, aggressive swoops when chasing rivals (the male considers nearly anything except female P. omphale to be a "rival") or fleeing danger, yet its normal flight is slow and forceful.


• Although little is known about their lifespan in the wild, we find Preponas to be one of the healthiest butterflies to keep in captivity. Preponas are unfussy, emerging without complication. Although displaying for visitors, they rarely land on people or fly around faces. Best of all, Preponas almost never try to hitchhike out on people.


• Preponas have two colors of blue on its wings, one lighter powder blue and one almost cobalt - which is rare. On the underside the wings are camouflaged and sport false eyes. Can you think of other butterflies that have false eyes on the outer sides of their wings?
  

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May Butterfly of the Month

Dryas iulia

Julia longwing or Passion vine butterfly

Range: Southern United States to tropical south America

• These butterflies are known for their erratic flight patterns. In the wild they are often found in the open clearings of forests.


• Julias are in the family Heliconiidae, along with all other species of longwing butterflies. Although they resemble other heliconius species, they have a distinct wing shape and solid orange color that makes them quite easy to identify.


• D. iulia eggs are laid on passion vines. Eating this hostplant during the larval stage will give the butterfly a flavor that is noxious to its predators. Can you think of other butterflies that use this method of defense?


• The Tropical Butterfly House gets Julia butterflies from both central and south America with colors that are very different. Though both are orange, the butterflies from Suriname have a pinkish cast that is almost neon bright!

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