South American Butterflies

South America has the world's richest butterfly species. The butterflies in the lower left of the picture are from the family Nymphalidae, and those in the lower right are from the family Heliconiidae. The 2 giant butterflies in the middle are the Morpho cisseis gahua (Brown), one of the largest species of the family Morphidae, with wings spreading up to 19 cm. Below them are Doxocopa Cherubina, which is known by Brazilians as “degage traveler”. It lives in the tropical jungles of the Amazon and is one of the most popular butterflies in the area. Its wings shimmer with green ribbon-like color, which changes with the change of light. It is praised by local people as the turquoise emperor.
In the upper left corner is the Papilio thoas, also known locally as the King Swallowtail. It is a representative South American butterfly that often appears on stamps. On its lower right side is the Papilio aristeus, and the Anaxibia morpho (Morpho anaxibia) on the upper right side.
In the upper right corner of the picture is the Napiocles jucunda, and the Cithaerias aurorina on its lower right side. The butterflies of this genus have transparent wings with distinct red, orange and eye-shaped spots only on a part of the hind wing. With the rose-red color on the hind wings, when flying in the dark jungle, this butterfly species looks like a petal fluttering in the wind, which is really beautiful. Like other butterflies with transparent wings, it is easy to be recognizes as there is no scale on their wings. Their transparent wings can help them hide and avoid attacks from predators.