Rhetus periander

Rhetus periander
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Riodinidae
Genus:	Rhetus
Species:	R. periander
Binomial name
Rhetus periander (Cramer, [1777])
Synonyms
Papilio periander Diorina laonome Diorhina periander

Rhetus periander, the Periander metalmark or variable beautymark, ^[1] is a butterfly of the family Riodinidae. It is found in most of Central and South America, ranging from Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. ^[2]

Male, Tambopata Park, Peru

Subspecies

These subspecies are recognised: ^[2]

• R. p. arthuriana (Goiás, Brazil)
• R. p. eleusinus (Brazil: São Paulo, Santa Catarina, and Rio de Janeiro)
• R. p. periander (Suriname)
• R. p. laonome (Colombia)
• R. p. naevianus (Honduras to Costa Rica)

Reproduction

Females of Rhetus periander search for the host plants on which to lay eggs on the hottest hours of the day. Typically, one or two eggs are laid per plant. The lifecycle from egg to full adult is a full 50 days.

References

1. Glassberg, J. (2007) A Swift Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico and Central America, Sunstreak Books, p. 61
2. Rhetus at Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera

3. Kaminski, L.A., (2015) Natural history and systematic position of Rhetus belphegor, Introduction