Libythea cinyras
Encyclopedia
Libythea cinyras was a species of butterfly
in the nymphalid
Libytheinae
subfamily. It is now thought to be extinct. It was endemic to Mauritius
. The only known specimen is the holotype
.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
in the nymphalid
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...
Libytheinae
Libytheinae
Libytheinae is the nymphalid subfamily of the snout butterflies, containing two valid genera and about 10 species, 6 in Libythea and 4 in Libytheana. The common name refers to the thick labial palps that look like a "snout" in this subfamily. In older literature, this group was recognized as the...
subfamily. It is now thought to be extinct. It was endemic to Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. The only known specimen is the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
.