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Emylius Metalmark

Calospila emylius, Cramer, 1775

Subfamily Riodininae

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Calospila emylius, Foetoenakaba village, Suriname, 29 May 2007         Ref #:  I-379-19.3

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.

Calospila emylius, Foetoenakaba village, Suriname, 29 May 2007            Ref #:  I-380-10

General Information:

Calospila emylius belongs to the subfamily Riodininae.  It is found throughout much of the northern half of South America.

Calospila emylius, Foetoenakaba village, Suriname, 29 May 2007             Ref #:  I-380-9

Lifecycle:

Little is documented on the lifecycle of this species.