Dircena dero

Dircena dero (Dircena dero)

Phylum — arthropoda
Class — insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family — nymphalidae

Genus – dircena

Appearance

The caterpillar is pale green-white, covered with pale yellow warts.

The wingspan of this butterfly is 70-75 mm. The forewings are elongated. The color is black with large orange or yellow spots on the wings. The antennae are yellow at the end.

Habitat

It is found in South and Central America.

Behavior

Dircena dero demonstrates daily activity. The flight is slow.

Diet

Butterflies feed on nectar. Females sometimes sit on bird droppings, getting nitrogen from them which is necessary for the eggs.

The caterpillars feed on the leaves of plants from the Solanaceae family.

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm. Females lay eggs one at a time on the leaves of the forage plant. The eggs are white. It is better to keep the caterpillars in terrariums for 6-8 insects. In the terrarium, you need to place a branch of a forage plant. Forage plants should be replaced every 3-4 days. The temperature is 22-25 ^oC at the humidity of 70-80%. Pupae are green. The butterfly leaves the pupa in 8-15 days.

In captivity

The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours. You can feed butterflies with honey syrup diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:10.