Bug FAQGuatemalan Cracker
Hamadryas guatemalena · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Its larvae feed on Euphorbiaceae plants, while adults drink juices from rotting fruit and animal faeces. Adults are active year-round in tropical parts of its range and appear in August in temperate areas.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The Guatemalan cracker belongs to the butterfly family Nymphalidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its wingspan measures between 76 and 98 millimetres.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It inhabits regions from southern North America down to central South America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars feed on plants in the Euphorbiaceae family. Adult butterflies sip juices from rotting fruit and animal faeces.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults fly throughout the year in tropical zones and are seen in August in temperate zones.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In tropical parts of its range the species is active year-round; in temperate areas it appears in August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range includes southern North America and extends into central South America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 2 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Arizona.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the caterpillars eat?
The larvae feed on plants belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family.
Source: Wikipedia
What do adult Guatemalan crackers drink?
Adults obtain nutrition from the juices of rotting fruit and from animal faeces.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamadryas_guatemalena
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.