Mestra

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
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: Eurytelina
Genus: Mestra

Mestra dorcas amymone

Mestra is a genus of nymphalid butterfly. It contains the single species Mestra dorcas, the Jamaican mestra, which is found from southern North America to South America and possibly Mestra cana, the St Lucia mestra, found in the Lesser Antilles (though this may be a misidentification).[1]

The wingspan is 35–50 mm. The upperside is gray white to light brown. There is a median row of white spots and an orange marginal band on the hindwings. The underside is pale orange with white markings. Adults are on wing year round in southern Texas, but it is most numerous from June to November. They have been recorded feeding on the nectar of Lantana flowers.[2]

The larvae feed on Tragia neptifolia (which may be a misspelling of Tragia nepetifolia).
Subspecies

Listed alphabetically:[1]

M. d. amymone (Ménétriés, 1857) (Louisiana to southern Texas and in Nicaragua, Costa Rica) – Amymone
M. d. apicalis (Staudinger, 1886) (Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil: São Paulo, Goiás, Pará)
M. d. dorcas Hübner, [1825] (Jamaica)
M. d. hersilia (Fabricius, 1777) (Guyana, Colombia, St. Lucia, Trinidad)
M. d. hypermestra Hübner, [1825] (Brazil: Pará, Paraguay)
M. d. latimargo (Hall, 1929) (Ecuador)
M. d. semifulva (C. & R. Felder, 1867) (Colombia)

References

Mestra at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
[1], Butterflies and Moths of North America