Hamadryas arinome

Hamadryas arinome (Hamadryas arinome)

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

Genus – hamadryas

Appearance

The newborn caterpillar is pale yellow with a black head. The younger caterpillars are dark brown with small white spots and spines. The older caterpillars are light brown with thin white black and green lines. They are covered with branched thorns. There are two long horns in the shape of clubs on the head.

The wingspan of this butterfly is about 70-86 mm. The wings are covered with a wavy pattern of different shades of brown, beige, gray and bluish-gray colors. There is a number of small eyespots along the outer margins of the wings. The underside of the wings is dark brown and white.

Habitat

Hamadryas arinome is found from Mexico south to the Amazon basin.

Behavior

Hamadryas arinome demonstrates daily activity. Interacting with each other males make cracking sounds. The sound is produced when the butterflies take off, by rubbing a pair of spiny rods at the tip of the abdomen against the bristles on the anal segments. Only males can produce this sound, but both sexes can perceive it — their wings have tiny hollow cells covered with membranes that vibrate in response to the sound and stimulate nerve endings.

Diet

The larvae feed on Dalechampia triphylla. The adult butterflies feed on rotting fruits.

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, about 1.2 mm in diameter. It is better to keep the caterpillars in terrariums of 6-8 pieces. 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 23-25 ^oC at the humidity of 65-75 %. The pupae are brown with a darker indistinct pattern. There are two flattened horns on the head that look like ears. They are connected to each other up to half their length. The pupa stage lasts 5-7 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 the butterflies with an overripe banana or a syrup of honey diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:10.