| Cupido Metalmark (Helicopis cupido (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Helicopis cupido (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Cupido Metalmark Other names: Gold-drop Helicopis French name: Goutte d'argent Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Rhopalocera Family: Riodinidae Subfamily: Riodininae Wingspan: 40 mm. Biotope: Marshy areas in primary forests, in the surroundings of water. Geographic area: Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Surinam, Guyana, French Guiana, Brazil and Ecuador. Flight time: Number of generations : Caterpillar: White and hairy with an orange head. Host plant: Moco-moco (Montrichardia arborescens). |
The Cupido Metalmark is mainly typical because of the shape and colour pattern of its hind wings. They are yellow on the first basal half and then ochre with two rows of silvery spots from which it has got its common name. The wing margin is highly toothed with long tails. The fore wings are white with a broad dark brown border. The base is yellow and bordered with brown. It extends as a small pointed shape into the white area. Females are a duller colour. They do not show any brown area on the base of the fore wings nor along the costal edge. The Helicopis genus includes three species. You can tell Helicopis gnidus apart with the black spider-shaped pattern on the underside of the hind wings, under the silvery spots. Helicopis endymiaena shows black lines in the submarginal area of the hind wings. |
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I have shot this picture at Sinnamary, next to the Yiyi marshes, on the footpath going from the Nature House to the bird watching huts. I have read several notes telling that the Cupido Metalmark is one of the most beautiful butterflies in the world. They have not been difficult to observe, under the heavy rain, always perched on the underside of large Moco-moco leaves. I think that the bright colours indicate one male. |
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I think that the duller colours here indicate one female. |
André Bon May 2014
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