Mechanitis lysimnia

Mechanitis lysimnia, the confused tigerwing, sweet-oil tiger[2] or lysimnia tigerwing, is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793. It is found in Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Uruguay. The habitat consists of disturbed forests at altitudes up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).

Mechanitis lysimnia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nymphalidae
Genus:
Mechanitis
Species:
M. lysimnia
Binomial name
Mechanitis lysimnia
(Fabricius, 1793)[1]
Synonyms
  • Papilio lysimnia Fabricius, 1793
  • Heliconia lysimnia
  • Heliconia aurea Moreira, 1881
  • Heliconia narcea Moreira, 1881
  • Mechanitis lysimnia ab. albescens Haensch, 1905
  • Papilio castalia Larrañaga, 1923 (preocc. Fabricius, 1793)
  • Mechanitis nesaea Hübner, [1820]
  • Mechanitis lysimnia ab. sulphurescens Haensch, 1905
  • Heliconia lysimnia elisa Guérin-Méneville, [1844]
  • Mechanitis elisa connectens Talbot, 1928
  • Mechanitis macrinus Hewitson, 1860
  • Mechanitis numerianus C. & R. Felder, 1865
  • Mechanitis macrinus blissi Fox, 1942
  • Mechanitis menecles Hewitson, 1860
  • Mechanitis elisa acreana d'Almeida, 1950
  • Mechanitis utemaia Reakirt, 1866
  • Mechanitis doryssus f. utemaia ab. extrema Hoffmann, 1940
  • Mechanitis labotas Distant, 1876
  • Mechanitis ocona Druce, 1876
  • Mechanitis vilcanota Röber, 1904
  • Mechanitis mantineus f. forbesi Bryk, 1937

Adults have been recorded feeding on nectar from Eupatorium flowers.

The larvae are gregarious and feed on Solanum species and possibly other members of the family Solanaceae. They are pale green streaked with yellow.[2]

Subspecies
  • M. l. lysimnia (Brazil, Uruguay)
  • M. l. bipuncta Forbes, 1948 (Venezuela)
  • M. l. elisa (Guérin-Méneville, [1844]) (Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil: Mato Grosso)
  • M. l. labotas Distant, 1876 (Costa Rica)
  • M. l. limnaea Forbes, 1930 (French Guiana)
  • M. l. macrinus Hewitson, 1860 (Panama, Colombia, Ecuador)
  • M. l. menecles Hewitson, 1860 (Brazil: Amazonas, Acre)
  • M. l. nesaea Hübner, [1820] (Brazil: Bahia)
  • M. l. ocona Druce, 1876 (Peru)
  • M. l. roqueensis Bryk, 1953 (Peru)
  • M. l. solaria Forbes, 1948 (Venezuela)
  • M. l. utemaia Reakirt, 1866 (Honduras, Mexico)

References
  1. Mechanitis at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Sweet-oil Tiger, Butterflies of the Amazon and Andes


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