Consul fabius
Encyclopedia
Consul fabius, common name Tiger Leafwing, is the most common and well known species of the genus Consul belonging to the Nymphalidae
family, Charaxinae
subfamily.
(Piper tuberculatum, Piper auritum, Piper umbellatum, etc.), of which the caterpillars feed. The caterpillars are dark green with reddish spots along the back,while the chrysalis are pale green.
to the Amazons
(Bolivia
, Brazil
, Colombia
, Ecuador
, Mexico
, Panama
, Peru
, Surinam, Trinidad
, Venezuela
).
, and cloud forest
. It usually prefers the forest canopy, the banks of rivers and the forest edges, at elevations between sea level and about 1200 m.
Nymphalidae
The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies which are distributed throughout most of the world. These are usually medium sized to large butterflies. Most species have a reduced pair of forelegs and many hold their colourful wings flat when resting. They are also called...
family, Charaxinae
Charaxinae
Charaxinae, the leafwings, is a nymphalid subfamily of butterflies that includes about 400 species, inhabiting mainly the tropics, although some species extend into temperate regions in North America, Europe, China and southern Australia. There are significant variations between the species...
subfamily.
Description
The length of the forewings reaches about 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 ). The upersides of the wings have a bright orange and black pattern, with two yellow bands across the angular forewings. The hindwings are tailed. This butterfly is part of a mimicry ring, as a matter of fact the cryptic undersides of the wings mimic a dead-leaf. The eggs are laid on the leaves of various species of PiperaceaePiperaceae
The Piperaceae, also known as the pepper family, is a large family of flowering plants. The group contains roughly 3,610 currently accepted species in five genera. The vast majority of peppers can be found within the two main genera: Piper and Peperomia .Members of the Piperaceae may be small...
(Piper tuberculatum, Piper auritum, Piper umbellatum, etc.), of which the caterpillars feed. The caterpillars are dark green with reddish spots along the back,while the chrysalis are pale green.
Distribution
Consul fabius occurs from MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to the Amazons
Amazons
The Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
(Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Surinam, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
).
Habitat
This species is present in deciduous forest, rainforestRainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
, and cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
. It usually prefers the forest canopy, the banks of rivers and the forest edges, at elevations between sea level and about 1200 m.
Subspecies
- Consul fabius fabius (Surinam)
- Consul fabius cecrops (Doubleday, [1849]) (Mexico, Panama to Bolivia)
- Consul fabius albinotatus (Butler, 1874) (Colombia)
- Consul fabius bogotanus (Butler, 1874) (Columbia, Venezuela)
- Consul fabius castaneus (Butler, 1874) (Brazil: Amazonas)
- Consul fabius drurii (Butler, 1874) (Brazil)
- Consul fabius divisus (Butler, 1874) (Peru)
- Consul fabius ochraceus (Butler, 1874) (Trinidad)
- Consul fabius quadridentatus (Butler, 1874) (Bolivia)
- Consul fabius fulvus (Butler, 1875) (Peru)
- Consul fabius diffusus (Butler, 1875) (Ecuador)
- Consul fabius semifulvus (Butler, 1875) (Ecuador)
- Consul fabius fassli (Röber, 1916) (western Colombia, Ecuador)
- Consul fabius superba (Niepelt, 1923) (Colombia)