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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Butterflies and Skippers (Papilionoidea) » Brush-footed Butterflies (Nymphalidae) » Crescents, Checkerspots, Anglewings, etc. (Nymphalinae) » Victorinini » Peacocks (Anartia) » White Peacock - Hodges#4443 (Anartia jatrophae)

Species Anartia jatrophae - White Peacock - Hodges#4443

Classification · Hodges Number · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References
White Peacock - Anartia jatrophae White Peacock - Anartia jatrophae White Peacock? - Anartia jatrophae White Peacock - Anartia jatrophae White Peacock - Anartia jatrophae Mystery Visitor - Anartia jatrophae White Peacock - Anartia jatrophae Butterfly - Anartia jatrophae
Show images of: caterpillars · adults · both
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)
Superfamily Papilionoidea (Butterflies and Skippers)
Family Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Subfamily Nymphalinae (Crescents, Checkerspots, Anglewings, etc.)
Tribe Victorinini
Genus Anartia (Peacocks)
Species jatrophae (White Peacock - Hodges#4443)
Hodges Number
4443
Other Common Names
Princesa Perlada
Cenicienta
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
First described in 1763 by Linnaeus as Papilio jatrophae
Explanation of Names
jatrophae is Latin for "of Jatropha", but it's unclear what this refers to. The larvae have never been reported on plants of the genus Jatropha, and the sentence "Habitat in Jatropha Americes" in the description implies that a place is referred to.
Size
Wing span: 2 - 2 3/4 inches (5.1 - 7 cm).(1)
Identification
Upperside is white with light brown markings and a double row of light crescents at the margins. Forewing has one round, black spot; hindwing has two. Dry season (winter) form is larger and paler; wet season (summer form) is smaller and darker.(1)
Range
Resident from Argentina north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to South Texas and southern Florida. Migrates and temporarily colonizes to central Texas and coastal South Carolina. A rare wanderer to North Carolina, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas.(1)
Habitat
Open, moist areas such as edges of ponds and streams, along shallow ditches, weedy fields, parks.(1)
Season
Throughout the year in South Texas and the Deep South.(1)
Food
Caterpillar hosts: Water hyssop (Bacopa), Ruellia, and Lippia.

Adult food: Shepherd's needle (Bidens pilosa) in Florida; Cordia, Casearia, and composites in Central America.(1)
Life Cycle
Males patrol and occasionally perch to find females. Eggs are laid singly near the host plant or under its leaves.(1)
Remarks
In the original description, Linnaeus cites an illustration in a 1705 work by Maria Sibylla Merian, which shows all the life stages of the butterfly: Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, Plate 4
Internet References
butterfliesandmoths.org
Butterflies of America
D. D. Centuria Insectorum Rariorum, p.25    Linnaeus' original description of the species.
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by Steve Nanz, Matthew Roth, Chuck Entz, David Ferguson, KenW
Last updated 2 July, 2017 - 7:06am

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