Methona confusa
| Methona confusa | |
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| Methona confusa psamathe from Peru. Mounted specimen | |
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| Male of Methona confusa | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Methona |
| Species: | M. confusa
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| Binomial name | |
| Methona confusa Butler, 1873
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| Synonyms | |
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Methona confusa, the giant glasswing, is a species of clearwinged butterfly in the order Lepidoptera and in the family Nymphalidae. It can be found in some Central and South American countries in regions with forests and mountains.
Taxonomy
[edit]Methona confusa is in the order Lepidoptera and in the family Nymphalidae. The subfamily is Danainae while it is still not certain where the genus, Methona fits within the Ithomiini tribe.[1] There are 4 subspecies of M. confusa.[2] Two of the subspecies are Methona confusa confusa and Methona confusa psamathe.
Description
[edit]Methona confusa has a wingspan of about 11 cm.[2] The wings do not have nanostructures and thus are transparent and reflective.[3] It has black margins and black cross-bars on the forewings and the hindwings. Small white spots are present along the margin of the wing on the underside of the wing while there are also white spots on the abdomen and the thorax. Antennae are black with a yellow tip. M. confusa display Müllerian mimicry[4][5] and Batesian mimicry[5] through their wings.
Life cycle and behavior
[edit]To develop from an egg to an adult, it takes M. confusa about 45 days.[6] The white eggs are found in clusters on the bottom side of Brunfelsia (Solanaceae). Some species of Methona could be monophagous.[5] M. confusa and M. curvifascia have similar larval appearances. M. confusa has 12 stripes on the body while M. curvifascia has 11.[5] M. confusa as an instar has dark brown and yellow stripes transversely across the body. As a pupa, it has a black cremaster and the wing pads have a black and gold color a couple days before emerging as an adult.[5] This pupa stage lasts around 12 days.[5]
For mating, males will copulate with the female in two sequences. The male would grab onto the female where they would fall to the ground. In the second sequence, the male would leap onto the female while flying.[7]
Methona confusa has also been known to display gregarious behavior as larvae[8] and summit congregation behavior.[2]
Distribution
[edit]This species can be found in Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina, and Colombia.[9] Specifically, M. confusa can be found in the Amazon basin.[5] The population of M. confusa has been declining which could be due to the predation during the larval stage from ants and birds.[6] During the pupal stage, they are impacted by parasitoid wasps (Eulophidae) and fungi.[6]
Habitat
[edit]This species is often found in montane forests and mountains such as the Andes with elevations as high as 3,500 meters.[2] Unideal habitats that they have been found in are wet grasslands/punas.[2]
References
[edit]
- ^ Brower, Andrew (2006). "Phylogenetic relationships among the Ithomiini (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) inferred from one mitochondrial and two nuclear gene regions" (PDF). Systematic Entomology. 31 (2): 288–301. Bibcode:2006SysEn..31..288B. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2006.00321.x. S2CID 15644721.
- ^ a b c d e Cerdeña, José (1 August 2016). "A Remarkable Elevational Record of Methona confusa Butler, 1873 (Nymphalidae) in a High Montane Area of Southeastern Peru". The Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 70 (3): 249–250. doi:10.18473/107.070.0311. ISSN 0024-0966. S2CID 89592258.
- ^ Pomerantz, Aaron F.; Siddique, Radwanul H.; Cash, Elizabeth I.; Kishi, Yuriko; Pinna, Charline; Hammar, Kasia; Gomez, Doris; Elias, Marianne; Patel, Nipam H. (2021-05-15). "Developmental, cellular and biochemical basis of transparency in clearwing butterflies". Journal of Experimental Biology. 224 (10). doi:10.1242/jeb.237917. ISSN 0022-0949. PMC 8340268. PMID 34047337.
- ^ Encyclopedia of insects. Vincent H. Resh, Ring T. Cardé (2nd ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier/Academic Press. 2009. ISBN 978-0-08-092090-0. OCLC 500570904.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b c d e f g Hill, Ryan; Tipan, Luis (2008-01-01). "Description of the immature stages of Methona confusa confusa Butler, 1873 and Methona curvifascia Weymer, 1883 (Nymphalidae, Ithomiinae) from eastern Ecuador". Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 62 (2): 89–98.
- ^ a b c Murgas, Santas (2017). "Enemigos naturales de estadios inmaduros de Methona confusaButher, 1873 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) en Cerro Azul, Panamá". Tecnociencia. 19: 119–132.
- ^ Pliske, Thomas (November 1975). "Courtship Behavior and Use of Chemical Communication by Males of Certain Species of Ithomiine Butterflies (Nymphalidae: Lepidoptera)". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 68 (6): 935–942. doi:10.1093/aesa/68.6.935.
- ^ Rentería Gallegos, Janeth Elizabeth (2019-03-28). "Relación del gregarismo en el crecimiento y supervivencia de larvas de Methona confusa (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Ithomiinae)" (in Spanish).
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ SUVÁK, MARTIN (2015). "Exotic butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) in botanical gardens - potential for education and research" (PDF). Thaiszia Journal of Botany. 25: 81–147.