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Gray Cracker Butterfly
Hamadryas februa
20.4879, -87.7382
Field Notes
Description:
Crackers get their name from the males ability to produce an audible sound when the butterfly takes off. This sound is made by twanging two immovable spiny rods on the tip of the abdomen with the two spiny valvae ( the male's anal claspers ). Only males can produce the sound, but both sexes can detect it. This behavior is believed to either be for mating or to ward off rival males.
Habitat:
Range: Southern Texas, Mexico - Central America. Degraded rainforest, deciduous forests, orchards. Often seen basking on tree trunks in a head-downward position with their wings flattened against the bark. Host Plants: Vines (Dalechampia) and herbs (Tragia) in the family Euphorbiaceae.
Species ID Suggestions
Spotted for Missions
Photographed
PublishedJanuary 17, 2012
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