Elzunia humboldt is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, subfamily Danainae, tribus Ithomiini.

Elzunia humboldt
E. h. bomplandii from Colombia
Scientific classification
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Species:
E. humboldt
Binomial name
Elzunia humboldt
(Latreille, 1809)
Synonyms
  • Heliconius humboldt Latreille, 1809
  • Tithorea descandollesi Staudinger, 1885
  • Tithorea humboldtii flavomaculata Staudinger, 1885
  • Tithorea humboldtii latreillei Staudinger, 1885
  • Helicona bonplandii Guérin-Méneville, [1844]
  • Tithorea tamasea Hewitson, 1873
  • Tithorea tamasea f. lugubris Haensch, 1909
  • Tithorea cassandrina microguttata Röber, 1927
  • Tithorea cassandrina Srnka, 1885
  • Tithorea dagua Stichel, 1903
  • Tithorea bonplandii faba Weymer, 1909
  • Elzunia humboldtii coxeyi Fox, 1941

Description

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Elzunia humboldt has a wingspan of about 80–85 millimetres (3.1–3.3 in). This species is quite variable depending on the subspecies. The uppersides of the wings are black, with a series of small white spots on the margins. At the base of the hindwings usually there is a broad yellow band, while in the middle of the forewings usually there are one or more white spots. The undersides of the wings have a similar pattern to the uppersides, but the basic colour is reddish instead of black and the hindwings usually have two series of white spots.

Distribution

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This species can be found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

Subspecies

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  • E. h. humboldt (Colombia)
  • E. h. bonplandii (Guérin-Méneville, [1844]) (Colombia)
  • E. h. cassandrina Srnka, 1884 (Ecuador)
  • E. h. regalis (Stichel, 1903) (Colombia)
  • E. h. albomaculata (Haensch, 1903) (Ecuador)
  • E. h. joiceyi (Kaye, 1918) (Colombia)
  • E. h. atahualpa Fox, 1956 (Peru)
  • E. h. judsoni Fox, 1956 (Peru)

Etymology

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The butterfly was named to honour the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt.

References

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