Symmachia menetas

Symmachia menetas
	Illustration by Dru Drury
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Riodinidae
Genus:	Symmachia
Species:	S. menetas
Binomial name
	Symmachia menetas; (Drury, 1782)
Synonyms
	Papilio menetas Drury, 1782; Hesperia tacitus Fabricius, 1793; Emesis menetis Hübner, [1819]; Symmachia eurina Schaus, 1902; Symmachia menetas pilarius Stichel, 1910;

Symmachia menetas is a species in the butterfly family Riodinidae found in Brazil and Suriname. It was first described by Dru Drury in 1782.

Description

Upperside. Antennae black. Front of the head yellow. Thorax black, with two yellow streaks at the base of the wings. Abdomen dark brown. Half of the superior wings black, beginning at the shoulders, and running to the external edges, on which are seven cream-coloured spots variously shaped. The other half of these wings is scarlet, without any marks. Posterior wings entirely scarlet, edged with black.

Underside. Palpi cream coloured. Breast and abdomen light yellow. Legs black, but underneath pale yellow. Wings coloured as on the upperside. Margins of the wings entire. Wingspan 1+1⁄4 inches (33 mm).^[1]

Subspecies

Symmachia menetas menetas (Brazil, Suriname)
Symmachia menetas eurina Schaus, 1902 (Brazil: Paraná, Santa Catarina)

Sources

^ Drury, Dru (1837). Westwood, John (ed.). Illustrations of Exotic Entomology. Vol. 3. p. 11. pl. VIII.

[drury-1] Drury, Dru (1837). Westwood, John (ed.). Illustrations of Exotic Entomology. Vol. 3. p. 11. pl. VIII.

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