Nymphalis cyanomelas, the Mexican tortoiseshell, is a butterfly species in the family Nymphalidae. It resides from southern Mexico to El Salvador.

Mexican tortoiseshell
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Nymphalis
Species:
N. cyanomelas
Binomial name
Nymphalis cyanomelas
Doubleday, 1848
Synonyms
  • Vanessa cyanomelas

Description

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The undersides of both the male's and female's wings are dark mottled brown, much like tree bark, for camouflage when the wings are together. The top side is mostly bark brown changing to blue (cyan, hence the generic name cyanomelas) or greenish blue towards the wingtips. The wingtips also have chevrons or lozenge-shaped dark markings along the wing margins. Males and females are similarly marked.

References

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