Bug FAQThemisto amberwing
Methona themisto · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
The amberwing butterfly has a wingspan of about 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in). It lives in forested areas in Brazil and Panama and feeds on flower nectar as an adult, while its caterpillars eat Solanaceae plants such as Brunfelsia species. Caterpillars are black with twelve yellow rings, take roughly a month to mature, and pupate as pale yellow with black markings.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The hindwings are very round, also with black margins and a series of small white-blue spots on the upperside. Antennae are black with yellowish tips.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from about 8 to 10 cm (3.1 to 3.9 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is a common species that prefers forest habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults sip nectar from flowers; larvae feed on several Solanaceae species, mainly Brunfelsia pilosa and Brunfelsia uniflora.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Caterpillars are black with twelve yellow rings and need about 30 days to reach the final larval stage.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found in Brazil and Panama.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methona_themisto
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.