Emesis russula - Borboleta-Russula / Russula Emesis (Stitchel, 1910)

Lepidoptera: Bombycina: Papilionoidea: Riodinidae: Riodininae: Incertae sedis

Another picture, directly from the book Borboletas do Brasil, can be found here: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/1789946784/fullscreen

Other names: Acrobat Red; Russula Metalmark.

Wingspan: ~40mm.

Sex: ♀ (elderly) (needs confirmation)

Date: 22nd of November, 2017 at 01:25:48pm.
Location: Brazil, Santa Catarina, Benedito Novo

They do present slight color and pattern variations.

Their habitats are primary and secondary rainforests; however, they are also found in many suburban habitats, especially those sporting sunlit trails where the butterfly will try to feed on the soil's moisture. The subject portrayed was found in a suburban habitat surrounded by forests.

The Funet page (http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/riodinidae/emesis/index.html) of Emesis russula is lacking in information about the distribution status and it would do good to contact them and change this. Emesis russula are distributed in Brazil in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Santa Catarina. They are also distributed in Bolivia (La Paz, Santa Cruz), Paraguay and Argentina. The source to this information can be found in the book Borboletas do Brasil; I photographed the exact part of the book that displays this information and submitted it in this post.

The subject portrayed seems to be an elderly female of an Emesis russula metalmark butterfly, a member of the order Lepidoptera, superfamily Papilionoidea, family Riodinidae, subfamily Riodininae and are not currently allocated to any tribe, to which it is left as Incertae sedis.

The wingspan of Emesis russula lies somewhere around 40mm. The whole butterfly is splashed with an uniform orangeish coloring, including the hind and fore wings; these possess brownish markings.

According to this page, Emesis russula's larvae feed on Rapanea guianensis, but the veracity of this source is unknown to me and, thus, requires confirmation: http://www.adamerkelebek.org/IcerikDetay.asp?IcerikKatId=8&TurId=462. Furthermore, a source I'll provide further down the text lists more foodplants of another species of Emesis, Emesis fatimella, and I'm unaware if they can also serve as food for Emesis russula. These foodplants are: Ranunculaceae; Euphorbiaceae; Rhizophoraceae; Sterculiaceae; Anacardiaceae; Nyctaginaceae. According to this same source I'll provide further on, eggs of species of Emesis are typically white, highly sculptured and are laid in clusters of up to 30.

The adults usually cling under leaves with erect antennae and observe cautiously. Adults of Emesis russula can often be seen resting on plants and feeding on the moisture in trails, behaviour that seems to be present in other species as well. I'm unaware what flowers the adults feed on. Adults of Riodinidae have also been observed feeding on animal substances, such as excrements.

A picture of the larva of Emesis russula can be found here: http://caterpillars.unr.edu/brazil/species/Erussula.htm (NOT MY PICTURE)

Source mentioned:

Learnaboutbutterflies: http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Amazon - Emesis fatimella.htm

The veracity of MOST of the informations provided NEED CONFIRMATION.