of selected
Butterflies & Moths
in Central America
in Belize,
Costa Rica,
Guatemala,
Honduras,
Panama
(as during FONT tours
in the months of:
January, February, March,
April, July, December)
Lists
& a Photo Gallery
of selected
Butterflies & Moths
in Central America
in Belize,
Costa Rica,
Guatemala,
Honduras,
Panama
(as during FONT tours
in the months of:
January, February, March,
April, July, December)
A Total of 5 Lists compiled by Armas
Hill
Links to
these lists:
List
#1 - Swallowtails (Papilionidae)
List #2 - Whites, Yellows, Sulphurs, Marbles (Pieridae)
List #3 - Coppers, Hairstreaks, Blues (Lycaenidae) & Metalmarks (Riodinidae)
List #4 - Brushfoots (Nymphalidae)
List #5 - Skippers (Hesperlidae)
Codes in the 5 lists relating to
illustrations in various books:
Numbers noted as (C:xx) refer to pages in "A World of Butterflies", with text by
Brian Cassie, and photographs (superb) by Kjell Sandved
Numbers noted as (D1:xx) refer
to plates in "The Butterflies of Costa Rica and their Natural History (Volume 1):
Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae", by Philip J. DeVries
Numbers noted as (D2:xx) refer to plates in "The Butterflies of Costa Rica and
their Natural History (Volume 2): Riodinidae", by Philip J. DeVries
Numbers noted as (F:xx) refer to pages in "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of
Butterflies", by Dr. John Feltwell
Numbers noted as (K:xx) refer to pages in the
"Kaufman Focus Guide to Butterflies of North America", by Jim Brock & Kenn
Kaufman
Numbers noted as (PE:xx) refer
to plates in the "Peterson Field Guides to Eastern Butterflies", by Paul Opler &
Vichai Malikul, 1998 edition.
Those noted as (PEp:xx) refer to a page with a photograph.
Numbers noted as (PW:xx) refer to plates in the
"Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies", by Paul Opler & illustrated by Amy Bartlett Wright, 1999
edition.
Those noted as (PWp:xx) refer to a page with a photograph.
Numbers noted as (S:xx) refer to pages in the
"Smithsonian Handbook, Butterflies & Moths", by David Carter
Additional Codes:
CR: in Costa Rica
GU: in Guatemala
HN: in Honduras
PN: in Panama
(sl): at Sierra Llorona, in hills on the Caribbean side of Panama
Butterflies observed during FONT tours noted by an (*) prior to the 2-letter
country code.
Throughout the world, there are over 180,000 described species of butterflies
and moths (in the order Lepidoptera).
In our Central America butterfly lists, over 900 species (with some additional subspecies) are included.
More data will later be put in this file,
particularly regarding range & habitat, so as to make this piece rather
informative.
A GALLERY OF PHOTOGRAPHS FOLLOWS. More will be added.
Not pertaining to butterflies, but colorful and interesting - here's a link to photos & a file
relating to:
Leaf-footed Bugs in Panama
SOME COMMENTARY REGARDING BUTTERFLY IDENTIFICATION:
"Get a guidebook, take a few years, and
you'll still make mistakes. Butterfly identification has an initial, deceptive
simplicity.
Individuals in a species vary naturally, an eyespot slightly larger, a color
brighter.
Males and females of a species can be strikingly dissimilar.
So can genetic morphs or forms within a gender.
In a single species, butterflies that live in a range of habitat can vary in
appearance and produce different populations or geographical races, each better
adapted to its environment.
Species can also produce generations of distinct morphs in the same place at
different times of the year.
One Tiger Swallowtail is black. On the same
flower, another Tiger Swallowtail is yellow.
Another species produces red butterflies in the wet season and blue in the dry.
A species darkens in response to air pollution.
A species gains an eyespot. A species lose one."
The above commentary is from the book, "An Obsession with
Butterflies", by Sharman Apt Russell (a wonderful read).
Links:
Itineraries
for upcoming FONT Tours in:
Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, & Panama
Birds
during previous tours in:
Costa Rica Guatemala
Honduras Panama
A List of Mammals & Other Wildlife
in Central America (including Reptiles & Amphibians)
A
Photo Gallery of Some
Neotropical Butterflies & Moths
Photographs # 6, #11, #15 &
#16 were taken during the February 2006 FONT Tour in Costa Rica
by Rosemary Lloyd.
Photograph #3 was taken during the March 2006 FONT Tour in Guatemala
by Douglas Johnson. Photographs #7, #9, & #10 also by Doug Johnson.
Photograph #14 was taken during the Dec 2006-Jan 2007 FONT Tour in Guatemala
by Marie Z. Gardner.
Photographs #1, #2, #8, & #12
by Howard Eskin.
Photo #1
Photo #2
Photo #3: White-angled Sulphur
Photo #4
Photo #5
Photo #6
Photo #7: Banded Peacock
Photo #8: Gulf Fritillary
Photo #9: Zebra Heliconian
Photo #10: Zebra Heliconian
Photo #11
Photo #12: Monarch
Photo #13: Blue Morpho
Photo #14: an Owl Butterfly (in the genus Caligo)
Photo
#15
Photo #16: A Urania Moth,
photographed in southern Costa Rica.
Uraniinae moths can be confused with swallowtail butterflies,
since they are large, very colorful, tailed, diurnal, and flower-loving.
Some selected reference books regarding Butterflies & Moths:
"Smithsonian Handbooks: Butterflies & Moths", by David Carter
"The Butterflies of Costa Rica, and Their Natural History: Papilionidae,
Pieridae, Nymphalidae", by Philip J. DeVries
"Butterflies of North America", by Jim Brock & Kenn Kaufmann (with
2,200 images & 70 photographs)
"Eastern Butterflies", (the Peterson Field Guide), by Paul Opler
& Vichai Malikul
"Butterflies of Arizona - A Photographic Guide", by Bob Stewart,
Priscilla Brodkin, & Hank Brodkin (with fine photographs)
"Butterflies & Other Insects of the Eastern Caribbean", by P.D.
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