Catonephele numilia

Male

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Amphiesmenoptera
Ordo: Lepidoptera
Subordo: Glossata
Cladus: Coelolepida
Cladus: Myoglossata
Cladus: Neolepidoptera
Infraordo: Heteroneura
Cladus: Eulepidoptera
Cladus: Ditrysia
Cladus: Apoditrysia
Cladus: Obtectomera
Superfamilia: Papilionoidea

Familia: Nymphalidae
Subfamilia: Biblidinae
Tribus: Biblidini
Subtribus: Epicalina
Genus: Catonephele
Species: Catonephele numilia

Catonephele numilia, the blue-frosted banner, blue-frosted Catone, Grecian shoemaker or stoplight Catone, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae found in Central and South America.

Description
Dorsal view of a female C. n. esite

There is sexual dimorphism in the adults, with the males being black with six orange dots on the dorsal surface of the wings, whereas females are black with a light yellow band across the centre of the forewings. This butterfly usually flies along the ground and close to the ripe fruits and flowers. It can live a month. Adults feed on rotten fruits, while caterpillars feed on Alchornea species (family Euphorbiaceae).
Distribution

Catonephele numilia can be found in most of Central and South America.
Subspecies

Catonephele numilia numilia (Suriname)
Catonephele numilia penthia (Hewitson, 1852) (Brazil)
Catonephele numilia esite (R. Felder, 1869) (Mexico to Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Trinidad) – synonym of Catonephele numilia penthiana Staudinger, 1886
Catonephele numilia neogermanica Stichel, 1899 (Paraguay, Brazil)
Catonephele numilia immaculata Jenkins, 1985 (Mexico)

References

Catonephele at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms

Tree of Life
DeVries, P.J. (1987) The Butterflies of Costa Rica and their Natural History, Princeton University Press, Princeton
Lamas, G., Ed. (2004) Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera. Gainesville, Scientific Publishers/Association of Tropical Lepidoptera.