Eryphanis automedon

Appearance

''Eryphanis automedon'' has a wingspan reaching about 55–60 millimetres . In males the dorsal sides of the wings show night blue iridescent patches, extending from submedial to postmedial areas, with well defined borders separating the non-iridescent sections. Ventral sides vary from faded brown to caramel color, with various eyespots. The female wingspan is slightly larger, with a slightly different wing color pattern.

This butterfly can live up to six weeks and flies in the dark forests of Latin America. It is a fast flying butterfly. The caterpillars are cryptically colored and feed at night on Poaceae host plants , of which the elongated chrysalis mimics the appearance of a dried leaf.

Naming

The following subspecies are recognized:
⤷ ''Eryphanis automedon automedon''
⤷ ''Eryphanis automedon lycomedon''
⤷ ''Eryphanis automedon amphimedon''
⤷ ''Eryphanis automedon tristis'' Staudinger, 1887
⤷ ''Eryphanis automedon novicia'' Stichel, 1904
⤷ ''Eryphanis automedon cheiremon'' Fruhstorfer, 1912
⤷ ''Eryphanis automedon spintharus'' Fruhstorfer, 1912

Distribution

This butterfly is native to South America. It is present from Venezuela to the Guianas and Brazil and from Colombia to Paraguay, at an elevation of 0–1,000 metres above sea level.