The Butterflies of the World Foundation

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Laverna Metalmark

Calephelis laverna, Godman & Salvin, 1886

Subfamily Riodininae

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Calephelis laverna, Mount Saint Benedict, Trinidad, 1 July 2002           Ref #:  I-123-19.2

Taxonomy

The family Riodinidae is made up of approximately 1300 species divided into three subfamilies.  Most of these butterflies are tropical and many have shiny, metallic looking bands on their wings which give them their common name of metalmarks.  Some of the Neotropical species are outrageously colored with reflective scales of every color and hue.  The family is made up of three subfamilies; the Euselasiini and Riodininae which are from the New World, and the Nemeobiinae from the Old World.  The Riodinids are small to medium in size.  The males have front legs that are reduced and not used for walking, whereas the females have three pairs of walking legs.  Some species perch with wings open, some with wings closed and some with their wings at an angle.  Many will perch upside down under a leaf and many species live high in the tropical canopy and are very poorly understood.

General Information:

Calephelis laverna belongs to the subfamily Riodininae.  It can be found from southern Mexico south to Brazil and Trinidad.  It inhabits the forest understory and like others in this group is commonly seen in light gaps in the forest.  It is also found along forest edges.

Lifecycle:

The lifecycle of this species is not well documented, but is probably similar to others in the same genus such as the Fatal Metalmark.