''Nymphalis cyanomelas'', the Mexican tortoiseshell, is a butterfly species in the family
Nymphalidae. It resides 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 ...
to
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
.
Description
The undersides of both the male's and female's wings are dark mottled brown, much like tree bark, for
camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...
when the wings are together. The top side is mostly bark brown changing to blue (cyan, hence the
generic name ''cyanomelas'') or greenish blue towards the wingtips. The wingtips also have
chevron
Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to:
Science and technology
* Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines
* Chevron (anatomy), a bone
* ''Eulithis testata'', a moth
* Chevron (geology), a fold in rock lay ...
s or lozenge-shaped dark markings along the wing margins. Males and females are similarly marked.
References
Mexican Tortoiseshell Butterflies of America
Interactive Listing of Mexican Butterflies
Nymphalis
Butterflies described in 1848
{{Nymphalinae-stub