Entomology

Brush-footed butterfly

Melinaea mnasias romualdo Fox, 1965

This insect specimen, carefully pinned and labelled, was collected in Madre de Dios, Peru in 1983 by D. H. Kistner. It belongs to the Nymphalidae family (brush-footed butterfly) and is preserved so scientists can study it for generations.

Madre de Dios, Peru

Did you know?

Brush-footed butterflies have a reduced front pair of legs, so they appear to stand on only four.
Source: Wikipedia — Nymphalidae
Nymphalidae is the largest butterfly family, with roughly 6,000 described species.
Source: Wikipedia — Nymphalidae

Where it was found

Shown at a general level — region and country.

Keep exploring

Why are butterflies important to ecosystems? What can museum specimens tell us about the natural world? How do scientists know where an insect was collected? What kinds of insects have been collected in South America?

Brush-footed butterfly

Pareuptychia hesionides (Forster, 1964)

Brush-footed butterfly

Cissia terrestris (Butler, 1867)

Brush-footed butterfly

Oleria aquata (Weymer, 1875)

Brush-footed butterfly

Adelpha thesprotia Felder, 1867