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Species Eunica monima - Dingy Purplewing - Hodges#4532

Dingy Purplewing larvae - Eunica monima Dingy Purplewing larvae - Eunica monima Dingy Purplewing prepupal larvae - Eunica monima Dingy Purplewing prepupal larva - Eunica monima Dingy Purplewing adult - Eunica monima Dingy Purplewing adult - Eunica monima - male Dingy Purplewing adult - Eunica monima - female Dingy Purplewing - Eunica monima
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 Biblidinae (Tropical Brushfoots)
Tribe Catonephelini
Genus Eunica (Purplewings)
Species monima (Dingy Purplewing - Hodges#4532)
Hodges Number
4532
Explanation of Names
Eunica monima (Stoll, 1782)
Identification
Purplish above with white spots on front wing, but not all pale spots white (some cloudy). Tip of front wings slightly truncated but not notched. Underside dull brownish and grayish (fresh specimens often tinged bluish) and leaf-like in appearance, with indistinct eye-spots in two offset groups, not in a continuous curved row.
Range
s. FL, s. TX, and se AZ (1x) / Mex. to Venezuela / W. Indies (MPG, BOA)
Food
Larvae are recorded on Bursera (Burseraceae) in order Sapindales. Most other Eunica species (where known) feed on member of the unrelated family Euphorbiaceae.
Life Cycle
The very slender brownish to greenish gregarious larvae are unusual among Biblidinae (including among Eunica) in almost totally lacking prominent body and head spines. The spines that are present being reduced to short protuberances. The African genus Sevenia (sometimes included within Eunica) has similar larvae.
Life History photos - by Alan Chin-Lee, 2007
See Also
Florida Purplewings have larger white forewing dots
Print References
Heitzman, J.R. 1970. A new U.S. butterfly record and a migration of Eunica monima in Texas. Mid-Cont. Lepid. Series 12: 10-11.
Internet References