Malachite
Siproeta stelenes (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside is dark brown to black with translucent whitish green or yellow-green patches. Underside is orange-brown with greenish patches. Dry season (winter) form is larger and the hindwing underside has smudged black marks inside the orange marginal band; wet season (summer) form is smaller and has silver marks instead of black smudges.
Wing Span: 3 1/4 - 4 inches (8.3 - 10.1 cm).
Life History: Males perch on shrubs in forest or orchard openings and sometimes patrol for females with a slow, floating flight. Adults roost together under the leaves of low shrubs. Eggs are laid singly on host plant leaves, which caterpillars eat and rest beneath.
Flight: Two to three broods during the summer; one brood of the winter form hibernates.
Caterpillar Hosts: Cafetin (Blechum brownei) and ruellia (Ruellia coccinea) in the family Acanthaceae.
Adult Food: Rotting fruit. Occasionally feeds on bird droppings and nectar from flowers of lianas, trees, and sometimes herbaceous plants. Malachites may feed all day long and may fly to flowers 38 feet high in the canopy.
Habitat: Mango, citrus, and avocado orchards in Florida; subtropical evergreen or semideciduous forests in Central America.
Range: Brazil north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to southern Florida and South Texas. A rare stray into Kansas. Comments: The southern Florida populations have become established since the 1960s; presumably having emigrated from Cuba.
Conservation: Monitor United States populations.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 49 - 72 of 187 verified sightings
Observation date: Sep 22, 2022
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Sep 28, 2022
Observation date: Aug 18, 2022
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region:
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Sep 27, 2022
Observation date: Feb 12, 2016
Submitted by: BeaLaporte
Region: Yucatan, Mexico
Verified by: James Steen
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Jul 12, 2016
Submitted by: JimConrad
Region: Yucatan, Mexico
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 16, 2022
Observation date: Dec 16, 2014
Submitted by: JimConrad
Region: Yucatan, Mexico
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 15, 2022
Observation date: Nov 15, 2014
Submitted by: LLJohnson
Region: Dominican Republic
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: Sep 14, 2022
Observation date: Dec 06, 2017
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 21, 2022
Observation date: Aug 22, 2020
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Jan 15, 2020
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Oct 14, 2019
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 30, 2019
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Jul 03, 2019
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Dec 22, 2018
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: May 06, 2017
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Aug 13, 2016
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Mar 10, 2016
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Dec 22, 2010
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Limon, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Jan 14, 2013
Submitted by: Tee-tee
Region: Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 04, 2022
Observation date: Jan 21, 2013
Submitted by: Tee-tee
Region: Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 03, 2022
Observation date: Dec 05, 2016
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 01, 2022
Observation date: Dec 02, 2016
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 31, 2022
Observation date: Dec 06, 2016
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 30, 2022
Observation date: Jan 24, 2017
Submitted by: janhermanns
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 28, 2022
Observation date: Mar 03, 2018
Submitted by: Reiner Jakubowski
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 25, 2022
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