''Eryphanis automedon'', the Automedon giant owl, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family

Nymphalidae The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species ha ...

Description

''Eryphanis automedon'' has a wingspan reaching about . In males the dorsal sides of the wings show night blue iridescent patches, extending from submedial to postmedial areas, with well defined borders separating the non-iridescent sections. Ventral sides vary from faded brown to caramel color, with various eyespots. The female wingspan is slightly larger, with a slightly different wing color pattern. This butterfly can live up to six weeks and flies in the dark forests of Latin America. It is a fast flying butterfly. The caterpillars are cryptically colored and feed at night on

Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

host plants (mainly bamboo leaves), of which the elongated chrysalis mimics the appearance of a dried leaf.

Distribution

This butterfly is native to South America. It is present from

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

the Guianas The Guianas, also spelled Guyanas or Guayanas, are a geographical region in north-eastern South America. Strictly, the term refers to the three Guianas: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, formerly British, Dutch, and French Guiana respectiv ...

and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and from

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

, at an elevation of above sea level.

Subspecies

The following subspecies are recognized:"''Eryphanis'' Boisduval, 1870"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' *''Eryphanis automedon automedon'' (Suriname) *''Eryphanis automedon lycomedon'' (C. & R. Felder, 1862) (Guatemala and Costa Rica to Colombia) *''Eryphanis automedon amphimedon'' (C. & R. Felder, 1867) (Brazil) *''Eryphanis automedon tristis'' Staudinger, 1887 (Peru) *''Eryphanis automedon novicia'' Stichel, 1904 (Ecuador) *''Eryphanis automedon cheiremon'' Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Bolivia) *''Eryphanis automedon spintharus'' Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Colombia) Eryphanis automedon MHNT male dos.jpg, ''Eryphanis automedon automedon'', male dorsal side - MHNT Eryphanis automedon MHNT male ventre.jpg, ''Eryphanis automedon automedon'', male ventral side - MHNT Eryphanis automedon MHNT femelle dos.jpg, ''Eryphanis automedon automedon'', female dorsal side - MHNT Eryphanis automedon MHNT femelle ventre.jpg, ''Eryphanis automedon automedon'', female ventral side - MHNT

References

* Carla M. Penz
Phylogenetic Revision of Eryphanis Boisduval, with a Description of a New Species from Ecuador (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)
- Insecta Mundi, 2008
BioLib.cz

Tree of Life

Catalogue of Life
* Retrieved April 20, 2018.

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3057591 Morphinae Nymphalidae of South America Butterflies described in 1775 Lepidoptera of Brazil Taxa named by Pieter Cramer