Common Nymphidium (Nymphidium caricae)

Scientific name: Nymphidium caricae (Linneaus, 1758)
Common name: Common Nymphidium
French name:
Order: Lepidoptera
Suborder: Rhopalocera
Family: Riodinidae
Subfamily: Riodininae
Wingspan: 35 mm.
Biotope: Woodland edges, clearings, river banks and road sides.
Geographic area: Guiana, Peru, Brazil.
Flight time:
Number of generations :
Caterpillar: Green and without any setae. They shelter in rolled leaves and they have relationship with ants.
Host plant:

Butterflies of the Nymphidium genus show a large triangular white area on the fore wings and a large white band crossing the hind wings.
The fore wings are rather narrow.
The costal edge of the fore wings and the submarginal area of all wings are marked by a dark border, brown, orange or black.
The wing margins show pale-ringed ovoid markings.
33 species have been described in the Nymphidium genus and 20 of them appear in the list of butterflies of French Guiana.
The costal edge of the fore wings of Nymphidium caricae is marked by a broad brown border with three orange bars inside the cell.
The submarginal areas of both wings bear a broad orange band bordered by a thin brown line on the inner side and by ovoid spots on the margin side.
The colour of the body matches the colour of the wings, brown head and brown front part of the body, white following part of the body and then brown rear.
Other species of the genus are often told apart by looking at the extent and location of the orange areas.
Many species do not show any orange colour on the costal edge of the fore wings.
The only species I have found with an orange band around the wings is Nymphidium acherois. You can tell it apart with the continuous orange band on the costal edge of the fore wings and with the black-ringed white spot next the apex of the fore wings.

Common Nymphidium (Nymphidium caricae) - French Guiana, France - March 5th 2012

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I have shot this picture at Iracoubo, on the side of the RN1 road. This was during a short stop while we were driving northwards to Mana.
Common Nymphidium is really a nice butterfly.

Common Nymphidium (Nymphidium caricae) - French Guiana, France - March 5th 2012

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Same butterfly as above.

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André Bon February 2014