Ithomiini
| Ithomiini | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pteronomyia apuleia from Bolivia | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Subfamily: | Danainae
|
| Tribe: | Ithomiini |
| Genera | |
|
43 genera, see text | |
| Diversity | |
| c. 370 species | |
Ithomiini is a
Ithomiini biology
Ithomiines are unpalatable because their adults seek out and sequester
The group has repeatedly been proposed as biological indicators of ecological conditions or biological diversity within neotropical forests, but individual sites harbor between 10 and 50 species, for the most part, and beta diversity is often great, even over relatively short distances.
Ithomiine larvae feed mostly on Solanaceae host plants. Exceptions are the more basal genera Tithorea, Aeria, and Elzunia that, like Tellervo and some Danainae, feed on Echiteae vines (Apocynaceae, Apocynoideae), as well as Megoleria and Hyposcada that feed on Gesneriaceae.
The local abundance of ithomiine butterflies in the Amazon forest, the lack of observations of predation, and their "peculiar smell" led
The source of the protecting chemicals in the bodies of adult ithomiines proved not to be their larval host plants, as was first suggested, but rather in plants visited by the butterflies. Adults of ithomiine, mainly males, visit flowers of some Boraginaceae, (
Ithomiini classification
The subtribes in the Ithomiini help to organize the 43 recognized genera, but this group is the subject of ongoing molecular, phylogenetic and morphological research, and the classification presented below will no doubt be refined in the near future.
The sister group to the tribe Ithomiini is either the small tribe Tellervini (containing the single Australasian genus Tellervo) or the larger tribe Danaini. The relationships of the three tribes in the subfamily Danainae are still unclear.
- Source: "The higher classification of Nymphalidae". Nymphalidae.net. Archived February 20, 2009.
- Note: A species list with proposed new tribes for subfamily Ithomiinae is available from Keith Willmott at [1].
- Note: Names preceded by an equal sign (=) are synonyms, homonyms, rejected names or invalid names.
Tribe Ithomiini Godman & Salvin, 1879
- Subtribe TithoreinaFox, 1940
- Subtribe MelinaeinaClark, 1947
- Subtribe MechanitinaBar, 1878
- Methona Doubleday, 1847 (= Gelotophye d'Almeida, 1940)
- Thyridia Hübner, 1816 (= Xanthocleis Boisduval, 1870; = Aprotopus Kirby, 1871; = Aprotopos Kirby, 1871)
- Scada Kirby, 1871 (= homonym Salacia Hübner, 1823; = Heteroscada Schatz, 1886)
- Sais Hübner, 1816
- Forbestra Fox, 1967
- Mechanitis Fabricius, 1807 (= homonym Nereis Hübner, 1806; = unavailable name Hymenitis Illiger, 1807; = Epimetes Billberg, 1820)
- Subtribe Napeogenina
- Aremfoxia Réal, 1971
- Epityches d'Almeida, 1938 (= homonym Tritonia Geyer, 1832)
- Hyalyris Boisduval, 1870 (= Oreogenes Stichel, 1899)
- Napeogenes Bates, 1862 (= homonym Ceratonia Boisduval, 1870; = Choridis Boisduval, 1870)
- Hypothyris Hübner, 1821 (= Mansueta d'Almeida, 1922; = Pseudomechanitis Röber, 1930; = Garsauritis d'Almeida, 1938; = Rhodussa d'Almeida, 1939)
- Subtribe IthomiinaGodman & Salvin, 1879
- Subtribe Oleriina
- Subtribe Dircenninad'Almeida, 1941
- Ceratinia Hübner, 1816 (= Calloleria Godman & Salvin, 1879; = Epileria Rebel, 1902; = Teracinia Röber, 1910)
- Callithomia Bates, 1862 (= Cleodis Boisduval, 1870; = Epithomia Godman & Salvin, 1879; = Corbulis Boisduval, 1870; = Leithomia Masters, 1973)
- Dircenna Doubleday, 1847
- Hyalenna Forbes, 1942
- Episcada Godman & Salvin, 1879 (= Ceratiscada Brown & d'Almeida, 1970; = Prittwitzia Brown, Mielke & Ebert, 1970)
- Haenschia Lamas, 2004
- Pteronymia Butler & H. Druce, 1872 (= Ernicornis Capronnier, 1874; = Parapteronymia Kremky, 1925; = Talamancana Haber, Brown & Freitas, 1994)
- Subtribe Godyridina
- Velamysta Haensch, 1909
- Godyris Boisduval, 1870 (= Dismenitis Haensch, 1903; = Dygoris Fox, 1945)
- Veladyris Fox, 1945
- Hypoleria Godman & Salvin, 1879 (= homonym Pigritia d'Almeida, 1922; = homonym Pigritina Hedicke, 1923; = homonym Heringia d'Almeida, 1924)
- Brevioleria Lamas, 2004
- Mcclungia Fox, 1940
- Greta Hemming, 1934 (= homonym Hymenitis Hübner, 1819; = Hypomenitis Fox, 1945)
- Heterosais Godman & Salvin, 1880 (= Rhadinoptera d'Almeida, 1922)
- Pseudoscada Godman & Salvin, 1879 (= Languida d'Almeida, 1922)
See also
References
- S2CID 83792953.
- Lamas, G. (1999). "Nymphalidae II Pt. 3 Ithomiinae". In: E. Bauer & T. Frankenbach (Eds.), Butterflies of the World. (pp. 1–17). Keltern, Germany: Goecke & Evers. ISBN 978-3-931374-66-2. 16 color plates - illustrates 252 specimens covering subset of the 320 known species, many of which are divided into subspecies.
- Brown Jr., K. S. & Freitas, A. V. L. (1994). "Juvenile stages of Ithomiinae: overview and systematics (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)". Tropical Lepidoptera. 5 (1): 9-20.
External links
Media related to Ithomiini at Wikimedia Commons
- Illustrated Checklist Florida Museum
- TOL
- General information on ithomiine butterflies
- Pteron In Japanese but binomialnames. Three pages. This page is Mechanitis.
- Learn about butterflies Excellent photos of mimicry in Methona confusa
- Richard Haensch, in Seitz, A. (1907). The Macrolepidoptera of the World. 5: The Macrolepidoptera of the American faunistic region. Danaidae: 113-171.