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Blue-banded Purplewing

The Blue-banded Purplewing or Whitened Bluewing (Myscelia cyaniris), too Blue Wave, Tropical Blue Wave and Royal Blue, is a butterfly found in Central America and northern South America, from south Texas and Mexico to Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru.

It is found from sea level to 700 meter on the Atlantic slopes and is associated with rain forest habitats.

The length of the forewings reaches about 34–36 millimetres. The dorsal sides of the upperwings are bright blue with white transversal bands and white spots. The sapphire blue of the upper wings may appear black or neon blue depending on how the light is reflected.

The under sides of the hind wings have a cryptic coloration as they are mottled with different shades of color, varying from gray to brown, while the under sides of the fore wings are black with white patches.

This butterfly, like the Morpho and Owl Butterflies, visits fermenting fruit rather than flowers to feed.

This picture was taken in Diergaarde Blijdorp (Zoo Rotterdam, Netherlands).

 

Het cyaanvosje is een vlinder uit Midden Amerika en noordwestelijk Zuid Amerika. De opvallend blauw-wit gestreepte vlinder is 34 à 36 millimeter groot.

Dit cyaanvosje is gefotografeerd in de Zuid-Amerikaanse vlinderhal "Amazonica" in Diergaarde Blijdorp.

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All rights reserved. Copyright © Martien Uiterweerd. All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.

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Uploaded on January 26, 2014
Taken on May 27, 2013