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Mechanitis polymnia(Mechanitis polymnia)
Phylum —arthropoda
Class —insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family —nymphalidae
Genus –mechanitis
Appearance
Newborn caterpillars are gray, later they become white with outgrowths on the sides of the body. The older caterpillars are smooth, green, with long outgrowths on the sides of the body, each of which has a small black spot at the base. There are horizontal yellow stripes on the sides and back. Before pupation, the caterpillar turns yellow.
The wingspan of this butterfly is about 65-75 mm. The wings are elongated. The forewings are black with yellow spots near the apex and orange in the lower part of the wing. The hindwings are orange with a horizontal black stripe and black border. The ends of the antennae are yellow. The coloration is variable.
Habitat
Mechanitis polymnia is a very widespread species, distributed from Mexico to Bolivia.
Behavior
The butterfly is visible mainly in the early morning, and again in late afternoon, at which time the females can be found visiting Eupatorium flowers in forest clearings and along riverbanks. Males form "leks" to which the females are attracted by pheromones. The pheromones are disseminated by males from "hair pencils" - special androconial scales located, in the case of Mechanitis, on the costa of their upperside hindwings.
In seasonal rainforests, where there are pronounced wet and dry seasons, Mechanitis gather to aestivate during the dry season at the few remaining damp areas of the forest, typically in gullies or along the beds of streams.
Caterpillars and butterflies are poisonous. The caterpillars live in groups. Before feeding, they chew through the veins of the leaf to get rid of toxins.
Diet
The larvae feed on Solanum species. Butterflies feed on nectar.
Reproduction
For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm. Females lay eggs in groups of 10-40 on the upper part of the leaves of the forage plant. The eggs are elongated, almost white.Incubation lasts 4-5 days. It is better to keep the caterpillars in terrariums of 10-20 pieces, changing the forage plant every 3-4 days.
The temperature is 24-26oC. The humidity is 60-70%. The caterpillar develops for 2-3 weeks. The pupae are elongated, golden, with brown and black lines on the sides. The butterflies emerge from the pupae after 7-10 days. The life span of a butterfly is 12-18 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 an overripe banana or give them a few drops of honey syrup diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1: 10.
