''Mechanitis lysimnia'', the confused tigerwing, sweet-oil tiger or lysimnia tigerwing, is a species of

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

of the family

Nymphalidae 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 ...

. It was described by

Johan Christian Fabricius Johan Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is cons ...

in 1793. It is found in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, from southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. The habitat consists of disturbed forests at altitudes up to . Adults have been recorded feeding on nectar from ''

Eupatorium ''Eupatorium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, containing from 36 to 60 species depending on the classification system. Most are herbaceous perennials growing to tall. A few are shrubs. The genus is native to temperate ...

'' flowers. The larvae are

gregarious Sociality is the degree to which individuals in an animal population tend to associate in social groups (gregariousness) and form cooperative societies. Sociality is a survival response to evolutionary pressures. For example, when a mother wasp ...

and feed on ''

Solanum ''Solanum'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, which include three food crops of high economic importance: the potato, the tomato and the eggplant (aubergine, brinjal). It is the largest genus in the nightshade family Solanaceae ...

'' species and possibly other members of the family

Solanaceae The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orn ...

. They are pale green streaked with yellow.Sweet-oil Tiger
Butterflies of the Amazon and Andes

Subspecies

*''M. l. lysimnia'' (Brazil, Uruguay) *''M. l. bipuncta'' Forbes, 1948 (Venezuela) *''M. l. elisa'' (Guérin-Méneville,

844 __NOTOC__ Year 844 ( DCCCXLIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – Battle of Mauropotamos: A Byzantine expedition under ...

(Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil: Mato Grosso) *''M. l. labotas'' Distant, 1876 (Costa Rica) *''M. l. limnaea'' Forbes, 1930 (French Guiana) *''M. l. macrinus'' Hewitson, 1860 (Panama, Colombia, Ecuador) *''M. l. menecles'' Hewitson, 1860 (Brazil: Amazonas, Acre) *''M. l. nesaea'' Hübner,

820 __NOTOC__ Year 820 ( DCCCXX) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Abbasid Caliphate *Abbasid caliph Al-Ma'mun appointed Isa ibn Yazid al-Juludi as Abbasid gove ...

/small> (Brazil: Bahia) *''M. l. ocona'' Druce, 1876 (Peru) *''M. l. roqueensis'' Bryk, 1953 (Peru) *''M. l. solaria'' Forbes, 1948 (Venezuela) *''M. l. utemaia'' Reakirt, 1866 (Honduras, Mexico) *''M. l. tapajona'' Freitas & Pona, 2022 (Brasil)

References

External links

* Butterflies described in 1793 Ithomiini Fauna of Brazil Nymphalidae of South America Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius {{Danainae-stub