Danainae is a subfamily of the family Nymphalidae, the brush-footed butterflies. It includes the Daniadae, or milkweed butterflies, who lay their eggs on various milkweeds on which their larvae (caterpillars) feed, as well as the clearwing butterflies (Ithomiini), and the tellervini.
The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they 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 brush-footed butterflies or four-footed butterflies, because they are known to stand on only four legs while the other two are curled up; in some species, these forelegs have a brush-like set of hairs, which gives this family its other common name. Many species are brightly coloured and include popular species such as the emperors, monarch butterfly, admirals, tortoiseshells, and fritillaries. However, the under wings are, in contrast, often dull and in some species look remarkably like dead leaves, or are much paler, producing a cryptic effect that helps the butterflies blend into their surroundings.
The morpho butterflies comprise many species of Neotropical butterfly under the genus Morpho. This genus includes more than 29 accepted species and 147 accepted subspecies, found mostly in South America, Mexico, and Central America. Morpho wingspans range from 7.5 cm (3.0 in) for M. rhodopteron to 20 cm (7.9 in) for M. hecuba, the imposing sunset morpho. The name morpho, meaning "changed" or "modified", is also an epithet.
A proboscis is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elongated nose or snout.
The superfamily Papilionoidea contains all the butterflies except for the moth-like Hedyloidea.
The Heliconiinae, commonly called heliconians or longwings, are a subfamily of the brush-footed butterflies. They can be divided into 45–50 genera and were sometimes treated as a separate family Heliconiidae within the Papilionoidea. The colouration is predominantly reddish and black, and though of varying wing shape, the forewings are always elongated tipwards, hence the common name.
The Satyrinae, the satyrines or satyrids, commonly known as the browns, are a subfamily of the Nymphalidae. They were formerly considered a distinct family, Satyridae. This group contains nearly half of the known diversity of brush-footed butterflies. The true number of the Satyrinae species is estimated to exceed 2,400.
The Satyrini are a huge tribe of the Satyrinae butterflies, containing the graylings, ringlets, and allies. They belong to the Nymphalidae (brush-footed) family. The classification used here is based on the new work by Wahlberg et al.
Biblidinae is a subfamily of nymphalid butterflies that includes the tropical brushfoots. This subfamily was sometimes merged within the Limenitidinae, but they are now recognized as quite distinct lineages. In older literature, this subfamily is sometimes called Eurytelinae.
Butterfly evolution is the origin and diversification of butterflies through geologic time and over a large portion of the Earth's surface. The earliest known butterfly fossils are from the mid Eocene epoch, between 40-50 million years ago. Their development is closely linked to the evolution of flowering plants, since both adult butterflies and caterpillars feed on flowering plants. Of the 220,000 species of Lepidoptera, about 45,000 species are butterflies, which probably evolved from moths. Butterflies are found throughout the world, except in Antarctica, and are especially numerous in the tropics; they fall into eight different families.
Coenyropsis is a genus of butterflies from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae.
Coenyropsis natalii, the Natal brown, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in South Africa.
Mashuna mashuna, the Mashuna ringlet, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Zimbabwe. The habitat consists of marshy areas in savanna and grassland.
Neocoenyra duplex is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and northern Tanzania. The habitat consists of grassy savanna.
Neocoenyra fuligo is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in central Tanzania. The habitat consists of montane grassland at altitudes between 2,000 and 2,100 meters.
Neocoenyra fulleborni is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in southern Tanzania. The habitat consists of submontane and montane grassland and shrubland at altitudes between 1,500 and 1,800 meters.
Neocoenyra rufilineata is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Somalia.
Coenyropsis carcassoni is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in south-eastern Kenya and eastern Tanzania. The habitat consists of Brachystegia woodland and savanna.
Physcaeneura leda is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found along the coast of Kenya, as well as in north-eastern Tanzania and southern Somalia. The habitat consists of dense woodland, forest margins and grassy forest clearings from sea-level to 1,850 meters.
Pseudonympha cyclops, the cyclops brown, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The habitat consists of grassy slopes.
