| Uncertain Owlet (Bia actorion (Linnaeus, 1763)) |
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Scientific name: Bia actorion (Linnaeus, 1763) Common name: Uncertain Owlet Other names: Bia Owl French name: Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Rhopalocera Family: Nymphalidae Subfamily: Morphinae Wingspan: About 60 mm. Biotope: Tropical rainforest. Geographic area: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil , Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Flight time: All year round. Number of generations : Caterpillar: Host plant: Astrocaryum murumuru and palm trees of the Geonoma genus. |
Bia actorion is a large brown butterfly showing a pointed tip at the anal angle of the hind wings. There is a black eyespot in the submarginal area of the forewings, next to two small white dots near the apex. The black eyespot is better visible on the underside of the wings. The upper side of the fore wings shows a yellow orange subapical band, whose width vary depending on the region, and one iridescent blue patch. On males, this blue patch is restricted to a small area next to the inner edge, from the middle of the wing to the anal angle. This patch is more diffuse on females and extends further onto the inside of the wings up to the discal cell. The underside of the wings is marbled with pale and dark. The anal angle of the hind wings is coloured with black and pale blue. The hind wing is marked with a pale submarginal line and three pale spots next to the inner edge. The other species of the genus, Bia peruana, which is found in Peru as mentioned by its name, shows the iridescent blue patch on the hind wings on males and on both wings on females. |
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I have shot this picture at Saül while walking along the Roche Bateau footpath. This picture could not be displayed with a larger size because there is an important moving blur caused by the low light conditions below the high trees of the primary forest (and also caused by the lack of stability of the photographer's arm). |
André Bon August 2014