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Peru 2010 – Part 5: So Many Butterflies to ID! Need Help!

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Kevin Loughlin

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Dec 3, 2010 | by Kevin Loughlin
So many species of butterflies… and yet, few books to help with identification. Thanks to Janet Creamer’s help, this Leprieur’s Glory (Asterope leprieuri) has been identified!
Interestingly, the web site that had the ID mentioned this species as being found from sea level to 1000 meters. This one was photographed at 1500 meters.
Need help with some identifications and confirmations… all input is gladly accepted! I could just be missing them in the book, but it is very likely that they are not in the books I have. Even the books have a number of species that are pictured but not ID’d!
The Manu Road at the middle elevations around Cock of the Rock Lodge offers a plethora of butterflies! We spent a good bit of time enjoying the multiple shows along the roadside as we walked. Many of the butterflies we found I knew, however, there were some beauties that I was unsure of the species.
Two excellent books, Butterflies of Southern Amazonia by Garwood, Lehman, Carter & Carter as well as Butterflies of Mexico and Central America by Jeff Glassberg have tons of great images and info. The BFs of S. Amazonia has recently been updated with an additional 300 species! However, these images were all from middle elevations along the Manu Road, and therefore many of the species we saw were not readily found in these books!
I would appreciate any suggestions for additional books of for the Andean butterflies, especially for eastern slope.
A firetip… Telassina Skipper (Pyrrhopyge telassina?)
This beautiful firetip skipper was puddling with daggerwings and eighty-eights. I believe my ID is correct, as found in the Garwood book, but I would like to confirm the range!
One of the “Sisters”… Adelpha alala?

Several species of “Sisters” were found, including the Pointer Sister butterfly. However, I could not find this one in the books. Notice the two white spots on the edge of the forewing? Searching web sites I finally found a similar species… Adelpha alala.

 A Mapwing… Hypanartia keffersteini?

My best guess is a mapwing… Hypanartia species. But which one? Keffersteini was found on one web site and is very similar

A flasher skipper… Astraptes sp.?

I love the blue fuzz on the flashers, but I am not sure which one should be in this area and many look very similar.

 A long-tailed species of Metalmark/Beautymark… Rhetus dysonii (?)

This beauty looks like Rhetus dysonii, too bad it’s missing one of its tails!.

I never saw the top-wing on this guy… any thoughts?

All help would be appreciated in getting IDs of these butterflies!

photos and text © Kevin Loughlin

5 Comments

  1. Janet Creamer on December 3, 2010 at 1:56 PM

    Hi Kevin,

    I found this website and here is your butterfly, I think. Leprieur's Glory,Asterope leprieuri

    http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Amazon%20-%20Asterope%20leprieuri.htm

  2. Kevin Loughlin on December 3, 2010 at 2:14 PM

    I believe that is it! And I was correct in saying that it was not in the Garwood book… Thanks! I will make the corrections above.

  3. Julie Zickefoose on December 3, 2010 at 5:26 PM

    I am no help at all other than to drool all over these photos. My God! what riches. Good luck with the ID's. The mapwing looks like a comma who's going to the disco.

  4. Kevin Loughlin on December 3, 2010 at 6:19 PM

    Hey Julie… get that drool-resistant cover on your keyboard… many more 'riches' to come!

  5. WaterSky2010 on December 4, 2010 at 1:58 AM

    Nice pics about butterflies.

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