FAUNA Paraguay ONLINE HANDBOOK OF PARAGUAYAN LEPIDOPTERA USERS GUIDE
Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law. Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay. Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent,
Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, José Luis Cartes, Rebecca Zarza and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.
Part of the ambitious FAUNA Paraguay Handbook of Paraguayan fauna project, the Online Butterfly Handbook aims to give detailled information on the biology and identification of Paraguayan butterflies and moths in a readable, non-technical, style that will appeal to the interested amateur as much as the professional.
The species accounts are accessed via the links in the butterfly list, Hawkmoth list and the familial and subfamilial image galleries. Below is an explanation of how to use the species accounts.
Scientific name (Descriptor and date) Image Gallery (links to the image gallery of the taxonomic group to which the species belongs). The presence of rounded parantheses means that the species name has changed since the original description. If they are absent the species was described with the name it retains today.
TAX: Taxonomic issues and taxonomic history of the species.
ENG: English name
ESP: Spanish common name in general usage in Paraguay or Argentina.
JIZ: Jizz, a birding term used to describe the general appearance and aspect of the butterfly or moth on seeing it. FLI: Flight style.
UPP: Upperwing M Male (Fig 1) Characters within the text are referenced to photographs at the bottom of the page. F (Fig 2-3) Female
UND: Underwing. M Male (Fig 1) Characters within the text are referenced to photographs at the bottom of the page. F (Fig 2-3) Female
BOD: Description of the colouration and structure of the head, body and antennae in live specimens.
MMT: Butterflies and moths within a single species can vary considerably in size depending on the time of year and the amount of alimentation obtained by the larvae. The measurements presented here are a guide showing the recorded ranges and reflecting the ratio of different measurements. First a general statement about the overall size of the species compared to other close relatives. Then a sentence describing any sexual size difference. Then follow the measurements. CL - Costa Langth, the distance from the apex of the forewing to the body. BL - Body length from the head to the tip of the abdomen (not including antennae); AB - The length of the abdomen alone; WS - Wingspan from apex to apex of forewing; HW - Head width across the eyes; AL - Length of antennae; n=number of measured specimens, followed by the number of males and females measured in brackets. Measurements are given in millimetres with the mean first followed by the range.
SSP: Similar species. A paragraph distinguishing the species in question from its confusion species. Confusion species are linked in the text to allow quick cross reference.
ABU: Abundance and seasonality.
HAB: Habitat preferences.
HOS: Host plants.
REP: Information on reproduction and life cycle.
Citable Reference: This is the reference to be cited should the account be referred to in any other work.
Last Updated: Being an online handbook new material can be added as and when it becomes available. For reference purposes the date that the page was last updated is given here.
Images referred to in the above text are included here.
