Methone cecilia

Methone cecilia
	Museum specimen in Muséum de Toulouse
	Underside
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Riodinidae
Subfamily:	Euselasiinae
Genus:	Methone; Doubleday, 1847
Species:	M. cecilia
Binomial name
	Methone cecilia; (Cramer, [1777])
Synonyms
	Methonella Westwood, 1852; Papilio cecilia Cramer, [1777]; Papilio amyntor Fabricius, 1781 (preocc. Cramer, 1775); Papilio dorine Stoll, 1782; Methonella chrysomela Butler, 1872; Methone chrysomela eusebes Stichel, 1919; Methonella vitellia Seitz, 1913; Methonella cecilia magnarea Seitz, 1913; Methonella amithrata Seitz, 1913; Methone cecilia magnarea f. metella Stichel, 1919; Methone columbana Stichel, 1924;

Methone is a genus in the butterfly family Riodinidae present only in the Neotropical realm.

Taxonomy

The genus Methone is monotypic. The single species is Methone cecilia is unmistakably characterized by the conspicuous colouring and the deeply indented margin of the hindwing being continued in the female at the ends of the veins into teeth-like small tails. On the forewing the subcostal is four-branched; the branches 1 and 2 rise before, 3 and 4 behind the cell. The hindwing is without a basal vein. The palpi are extremely short.

The colouring resembles that of certain Themone, Cartea, Monethe, Aricoris which imitate butterflies such as Ithomiinae and pericopine moths. The females are very stout and clumsy which makes them still more similar to the unwieldy Actinote. They are quite common but they are local and seem not to leave their birthplace.^[1]

List of subspecies

M. c. cecilia present in Suriname and French Guiana
M. c. chrysomela (Butler, 1872)^[2] present in Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia
M. c. magnarea (Seitz, 1913) present in Brazil (Amazonas), Peru and Bolivia
M. c. eurotias (Stichel, 1919) present in Ecuador
M. c. caduca (Stichel, 1919) present in Costa Rica

References

^ Seitz, A., 1916. Family:Erycinidae. In A. Seitz (editor), Macrolepidoptera of the world,vol. 5: 617–738. Stuttgart: Alfred Kernen
^ Methonella chrysomela Butler, 1872; Cistula ent. 1: 78,

Methone at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera

External links

Methone at Butterflies of America

[1] Seitz, A., 1916. Family:Erycinidae. In A. Seitz (editor), Macrolepidoptera of the world,vol. 5: 617–738. Stuttgart: Alfred Kernen

[2] Methonella chrysomela Butler, 1872; Cistula ent. 1: 78,

[1]

[2]