Zeuxidia amethystus

Zeuxidia amethystus
In William Lucas Distant's Rhopalocera Malayana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Zeuxidia
Species:	Z. amethystus
Binomial name
Zeuxidia amethystus Butler, 1865

Zeuxidia amethystus, the common Saturn, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1865. This butterfly is relatively large and striking. Its forewings have a broad iridescent-blue band with a similar blue patch on the hindwing. It is not abundant in Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.^{[ clarification needed ]} It has only be observed in dense forests. It can be approached while feeding on fermenting fallen fruits. Its flight period extends from May to September. ^[1] It obtains minerals using mud-puddling behavior and seem to be prefer ammonium ions rather than sodium. ^[2]

It is sometimes collected and displayed as fine wall art.

• 
  Saturn butterfly from Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
• 
  Saturn (Zeuxidia amethystus) from Bukit Timah nature reserve, Singapore

References

1. Jansen, Tom. "Butterflies - Morphinae - Zeuxidia amethystus amethystus". samuibutterflies.com. Retrieved 2014-11-02.
2. Erhardt, A. & Rusterholz, H.P. (1998): Do Peacock butterflies (Inachis io) detect and prefer nectar amino acids and other nitrogenous compounds? Oecologia 117(4): 536-542. doi : 10.1007/s004420050690 (HTML abstract)