Prepona demophon

Prepona demophon, or Archaeoprepona demophon (Prepona demophon, or Archaeoprepona demophon)

Phylum — arthropoda
Class — insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family — nymphalidae

Genus – archaeoprepona

Appearance

The caterpillars are brown with a hump in the chest area. They have two long tails at the end, and two curved horns on their heads. The older caterpillar is green.

The wingspan reaches about 54–58 millimeters (2.1–2.3 in). The uppersides of the wings are black, with bright pale blue transverse bands. The undersides are pale brown with a clearer band in the middle of the hindwings and several dark small dots on the margins.

Habitat

This species can be found in Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and northern portions of South America.

Behavior

Prepona demophon demonstrates daily activity. Butterflies spend most of their lives in the canopy of trees. The flight is fast and powerful.

Males perch on tree trunks or on foliage, sitting facing head-downwards and with wings half open. They take part in impressive aerial sorties, chasing each other in broad circles around the tree tops. After each sortie, they each return to their original perch.

It is interesting to know that the flight of these butterflies generates a sound similar to a moo or rustle, which is heard a few meters away.

Males are often found on wet ground  where they absorb moisture with minerals.

Diet

The butterfly larva generally feed on plants of the genus Annona (Annonaceae) and on Malpighia glabra (Malpighiaceae). Adults visit rotten fruit or dung.

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 80 x 80 x 100 cm. Females lay eggs in groups of up to 19 on the lower part of the leaves of the forage plant. The eggs are pink at first, then white, globular, about 2 mm in diameter. The incubation period is 5-6 days. It is better to keep the caterpillars in terrariums for 6-8 insects, placing a pot with a forage plant in it. The temperature is 22-25 ^oC and humidity is 70-80%. The caterpillar develops for 2-3 months. The pupa is bluish-green with irregular white spots resembling lichen. The pupal stage lasts 12-16 days. Butterflies live up to one and a half months.

In captivity

The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours. You can feed butterflies with honey syrup diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1: 10.