Nymphalis cyanomelas

Nymphalis cyanomelas
Mexican Tortoiseshell
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Nymphalis
Species: N. cyanomelas
Binomial name
Nymphalis cyanomelas
Doubleday, 1848
Synonyms

Vanessa cyanomelas

The Mexican Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis cyanomelas) is a species in the Nymphalidae family. It resides from southern Mexico to El Salvador. See also Anglewing butterflies.

Description

The underside of both the male's and female's wings are dark mottled brown, much like tree bark, for camouflage when the wings are together. The top side is mostly bark brown changing to blue (cyan, hence the name cyanomelas) or greenish-blue towards the wingtips. The wingtips also have chevrons or lozenge-shaped dark markings along the wing margins. Males and females are similarly marked.

References


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