Brownish Cracker Hamadryas iphthime (H.W. Bates, 1864)

Family: Nymphalidae

Subfamily: Biblidinae

Identification: Upperside is mottled gray, brown, and white; forewing without a red bar in cell; hindwing submarginal spots with a black center containing a white crescent, then a light blue ring, a narrow brown ring, and finally an outer blue ring.

Wing Span: 2 3/4 - 3 1/8 inches (7 - 8 cm).

Life History: Eggs are laid singly under leaves of host plant; caterpillars eat leaves and are solitary. Adults perch on tree trunks head downward with their wings spread open; males await females and make a cracking noise when they dart out at other insects. Before dark, adults perch on a single tree, then disperse to roost in nearby trees or shrubs.

Flight: Throughout the year in the tropics; strayed to Texas in August.

Caterpillar Hosts: Vine Dalechampia in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae).

Adult Food: Rotting fruit and other non-floral resources.

Habitat: Openings and trails in wet tropical forest.

Range: Brazil north through tropical America to central Mexico. One stray reported in central Texas.

Conservation: Not required for a rare stray.

NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.

Management Needs: None reported.

Comments: NULL

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