''Agrias'' is a genus of

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

charaxine

nymphalid 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 red ...

butterflies found in South and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

. The German lepidopterist

Hans Fruhstorfer Hans Fruhstorfer (7 March 1866, in Passau, Germany – 9 April 1922, in Munich) was a German explorer, insect trader and entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera. He collected and described new species of exotic butterflies, especially in ...

wrote: "In this magnificent tropical genus, upon which nature seems to have showered all her abundance of most brilliant colours, and which is, therefore, justly called the 'princely race' of the Nymphalidae, we are most surprised to meet a repetition of two genera of not less abundant colours: the '' Callithea'' and '' Catagramma'', except that the ''Agrias'' species greatly excel the latter in size and magnificent colours, and only the males of this genus bear a sexual distinction in the shape of a hair-brush on the hindwings. Some of them, like the famous '' A. sardanapalus'', having been first discovered by

Bates Bates may refer to: Places * Bates, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bates, Illinois. an unincorporated community in Sangamon County * Bates, Michigan, a community in Grand Traverse County * Bates, New York, a hamlet in the town of Ell ...

in the Amazon Valley, are of an absolutely charming beauty, and the contrast of its purple-red forewings beaming through a blue lustre hued over them as if in a violet purple gloss, with the brilliantly sapphire-blue hindwings, is undoubtedly one of the most magnificent sights that nature has ever produced in the whole world of butterflies."Fruhstorfer, H. (1913). Family: Morphidae. In A. Seitz (editor), ''Macrolepidoptera of the World'', vol. 5: 333–356. Stuttgart: Alfred Kernen. Prized by collectors, these large, showy butterflies have had hundreds of names applied to polymorphic variants.

Description

The species of the genus ''Agrias'' have, variously, very bright red, orange, iridescent blue and yellow colouration contrasting on the black or bluish background of their upperside wing. The underside wings are patterned. They have a robust appearance (broad thorax and short wide abdomen) allowing fast flight. The wingspan is 70–120 mm. Males of all ''Agrias'' species have prominent yellow tufts of

androconia The external morphology of Lepidoptera is the physiological structure of the bodies of insects belonging to the order Lepidoptera, also known as butterflies and moths. Lepidoptera are distinguished from other orders by the presence ...

l scales on the hindwings. These disperse

pheromones A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

for attracting suitable mates.

Biology

Adult ''Agrias'' live in the forest

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

, occasionally visiting the forest floor to feed on decomposing fruit. The butterflies always feed and rest with their wings closed, but if disturbed they may give a rapid flick of the wings, displaying the vivid colours of the upperside. Males establish territories and perch on tree trunks, branches, and even the ground. ''Agrias'' larvae feed on ''

Erythroxylum ''Erythroxylum'' (''Erythroxylon'') is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Erythroxylaceae. Many of the approximately 200 species contain the substance cocaine,Bieri S, Brachet A, Veuthey J, Christen P. Cocaine distribution in wil ...

''. The smooth and round eggs are laid singly on the leaves of the food plant. The larvae are pale brownish, marked with lichen-green spots, have recurved "horns" on the head capsule and a bifid tail. They feed at night and spend the day on twigs. The pupa is pale green. It has a dorsal hump, and tapers sharply toward a stout cremaster and the bifid head. It is suspended from a stem or leaf of the food plant. Huallaga1

Habitat

''Agrias'' are found in both lowland and montane tropical wet forests. Adults of ''Agrias amydon'' are also found in

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or sw ...

habitats in the

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...

but probably pass most, or all, of the long dry season in forest refugia. During the dry season, strong-flying ''A. amydon'' undoubtedly forage in open areas, only to return to sheltered retreats in response to thermal stress.

Mimicry

''Agrias phalcidon'' is a Mullerian mimic with the '' Asterope'' (formerly ''Callithea'') species complex.

Systematics

Clade showing phylogenetics of ''Agrias''.

Hybrids

*''Prepona'' × ''sarumani'' was described by Paul Smart in 1976 is considered to be a hybrid between ''Prepona praeneste abrupta'' and ''Agrias claudina lugens''. Intergeneric hybrids are rare and this may indicate ''

Prepona ''Prepona'' is a genus of Neotropical charaxine butterflies in the family Nymphalidae. They are strong fliers in tropical forests where they feed on fermenting fruits and animal dung. The underside of the wings is pale greyish or brownish, while ...

'' is very closely related to ''Agrias'' or that the genera should be combined.

Species

The following species are accepted by the ''Atlas of Neotropical Lepidoptera''.Lamas, G. (Ed.) (2004). ''Checklist: Part 4A. Hesperioidea-Papilionoidea''. Gainesville, Florida: Association for Tropical Lepidoptera. . * '' Agrias aedon'' – Aegon agrias * '' Agrias amydon'' – white-spotted agrias * '' Agrias claudina'' (including ''A. sardanapalus'') – Claudina agrias * '' Agrias hewitsonius'' * '' Agrias narcissus'' Other authors differ, for instance in regarding ''A. narcissus'' as a subspecies of ''A. aedon''. G9DC5664a.jpg, '' Agrias amydon phalcidon'' upperside Agrias narcissus narcissus MHNT.jpg, '' Agrias narcissus narcissus'' both sides Agrias claudina claudina MHNT.jpg, '' Agrias claudina claudina'' both sides WachenheimiP3020012.jpg, '' Agrias claudina wachenheimi'' upperside Satanas P3020013.jpg, '' Agrias claudina satanas'' underside

References

* Barselou, P. (1983), ''The genus Agrias (Nymphalidae) '', Sciences Nat,

Venette Venette () is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. The town is located along the river Oise, near Compiègne. Population Its inhabitants are called Venettiens. There are about 2800 inhabitants (2012). See also * Communes of the ...

* Eugène Le Moult, Le Moult, 1931–1933, ''Formes nouvelles ou peu connues d'Agrias''. ''

Novitates Entomologicae ''Novitates Entomologicae'' was a French entomological journal. It was published by Eugène Le Moult and established in 1931. Production The size of the publication was very large: 25 × 33 cm, recalling something like the publications of ...

'' *Floquet, Ph., 2008. ''Agrias'', Volume 1. Publication à compte d’auteur. 98 pp accepts the same 9 species as Spath (q.v.) *Floquet, Ph., 2010. ''Agrias'', Volume 2. Publication à compte d’auteur. 57 pp * Floquet, P., 2010: A new form of ''Agrias phalcidon'' Hewitson, in the Maues region, Amazonas, Brazil (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). ''Lambillionea'' CX 1 (Tome 1): 132–135. * Floquet, P.,2010: Les variations chez Agrias phalcidon phalcidon Hewitson, 1855,et description de la femelle de la forme floqueti Floquet, 2010, Brésil(Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)'Lambillionea' CXI, 3. * Floquet, P., 2011. Les variations chez Agrias pericles Bates (1860),de la région de Maues et Itaituba au Brésil (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) ''Lambillionea'' CXI, 1. * Floquet, P., 2012. Les variations chez Agrias phalcidon excelsior Lathy, 1924, Brésil(Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)''Lambillionea'' CXII, 1. * Floquet, P., 2011. Les variations chez Agrias phalcidon ssp.fournierae (Fassl, 1921),au Brésil (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)''Lambillionea'' CXI. * Floquet, P., 2011. Forme rouge d’Agrias amydon smalli Miller & Nicolay (1971),du Costa-Rica (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)''Lambillionea'' CXI, 1. * Floquet, P., 2012. Les sous-espèces d’Agrias narcissus Staudinger, 1886 et leurs variations(Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae)''Lambillionea'' CXII, 2. * Floquet, Ph., 2012. Les sous-espèces et variations chez Agrias beatifica Hewitson, 1869 (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) ''Lambillionea'' CXII, 3. * Floquet, Ph., 2012. Agrias hewitsonius Bates, 1860 (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) ''Lambillionea'' CXII, 3 * Floquet, Ph., 2013. Variation chez l'Agrias phalcidon phalcidon Hewitson, 1855 f. floqueti Floquet, 2010, et description de la f. manfredi nov. Floquet,2013 Lambillionea CXIII, 1 * Floquet, Ph., 2013. Forme récurrente chez les Agrias Doubleday, 1845 (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) Lambillionea CXIII,1 * Floquet, Ph., 2013. Decouverte et description d'unenouvelle forme d'Agrias beatifica stuarti Godman & Salvin, 1882 f. pseudohewitsonius nov.(Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) Lambillionea CXIII,2 * Floquet, Ph., 2013. - Formes et Variations chez les Agrias (Version Française). 72 pp. * Floquet, Ph., 2013. - Agrias, Forms and Variations (English version). 72 pp. * Floquet, Ph., 2014. Variations chez Agrias amydon athenais Fruhstorfer,1912 et description d'une forme nouvelle auriflamma (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) Lambillionea CXIV,3,2014 * Floquet, Ph., 2015. Notes sur les populations d'Agrias aedon Hewitson, 1848 du Costa Rica (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) Lambillionea CXV,3,2015 * Floquet, Ph., 2016. Découverte et description de la forme rouge d'Agrias phalcidon excelsior Lathy, 1924, Brésil f. akai nov. Floquet, 2015 (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) Lambillionea CXVI,1,2016 * Rebillard, P. (1961), ''Révision systématique des Lépidoptères Nymphalides du genre Agrias''. ''Memoires du Museum National d`Histoire Naturelle'', Nouvelle Serie, Serie A, Zoologie, Tome XXII, Fasicule 2. * Späth, M. (1992), ''Sous-espèces et formes nouvelles d'Agrias''. '' Bulletin de la Société Sciences Nat'', 75–76

* Späth, M. (1999), Pt. 2. ''Agrias''. In: E. Bauer (Ed.), ''Butterflies of the World.'' (Vol. Nymphalidae I, pp. 12 p., 20 col. plates). Keltern: Goecke & Evers. Accepts 9 species ''Agrias beatifica'' Hewitson, 1869;''Agrias hewitsonius'' Hewitson, 1860; ''Agrias sahlkei'' Honrath,

885 Year 885 ( DCCCLXXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Emperor Charles the Fat summons a meeting of officials at Lobith (moder ...

''Agrias claudina'' (Godart, 824, ''Agrias aedon'' Hewitson, 1848; ''Agrias narcissus'' Staudinger,

''Agrias amydon'' Hewitson, 1854, ''Agrias phalcidon'' Hewitson, 1855 ''Agrias pericles'' Bates, 1860 *Allen M. Young, 1981 Responses by butterflies to seasonal conditions in lowland Guanacaste province, Costa Rica ''Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society'' 1981 Volume 35: 155-15
pdf
*Thomas S. Ray, 1985 The host plant, ''Erythroxylum'' (Erythroxylaceae), of ''Agrias'' (Nymphalidae) ''Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society '' 1985 Volume 39: 266-26
pdf
includes photos of larvae and pupae *George T. Austin, 2009 Nymphalidae of Rondônia, Brazil: Variation and phenology of Agrias (Charaxinae). ''Tropical Lepidoptera Research'' 19(1): 29–34, 33 figs
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*Carlos Antonio Peña Bieberach, 2009 Evolutionary history of the butterfly subfamily Satyrinae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Thesis Department of Zoology Stockholm Universit
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*Furtado, E. 2008. Intergeneric hybridism between ''Prepona'' and ''Agrias'' (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Charaxinae). ''Tropical Lepidoptera Research'' 18(1): 5–
pdf

External links

*
''Agrias'' (as ''Prepona'') images
at

Consortium for the Barcode of Life The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) was an international initiative dedicated to supporting the development of DNA barcoding as a global standard for species identification. CBOL's Secretariat Office is hosted by the National Museum of ...

''Agrias claudina''
at

ARKive ARKive was a global initiative with the mission of "promoting the conservation of the world's threatened species, through the power of wildlife imagery", which it did by locating and gathering films, photographs and audio recordings of the worl ...

BOA
Photographs of type specimens including subspecies and forma
"''Agrias'' Doubleday, 1844"
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms''
Agrias Butterflies: The Gems of the Insect World

(Japanese site with binomial names)
Janzen
photos of larvae and pupae (2 pages). Via search Agrias + caterpillars {{Taxonbar, from=Q2707772 Charaxinae Nymphalidae of South America Nymphalidae genera Taxa named by Henry Doubleday