EIGHTY EIGHT BUTTERFLY Diaethra clymena janeira FAUNA PARAGUAY

Diaethria clymena janeira (C.Felder 1862)
ENG: Number Eighty-Eight, Eighty-Eight Butterfly
ESP: Ochenta y ocho
JIZ: Forewing long and triangular with pointed apices. Hindwing large and rounded with slightly undulated outer margin. Poses with wings folded, forewings almost completely obscured by large hindwing, but frequently sunbathes with open wings. Can be approachable. No sexual dimorphism. FLI: Flight fast and erratic within 1m of the ground, posing suddenly.
UPP: M/F (Fig 1) Forewing mostly black with conspicuous, broad, turquoise or greenish-blue (depending on light) crescent vertically crossing the medial part of the wing and a second, shorter and thinner, deeper blue comma towards the apex. Basally their is a hint of a greenish-blue horizontal streak which can appear more or less extensive depending on light. The hindwing is mostly black with a thin white outer margin and a broad bluish subterminal band.
UND: M/F (Fig 1&2) Underside of forewing mostly red basally with broad black border stretching from tornus to postmedial area of costa. Outer margin of forewing thinly black with a second thin black subapical line broadly bordered white. Underside of hindwing mostly white with thin black outer margin and two variable black concentric bands bordering a distinct 88 design on the centre of the wing - the 8 nearest the body somewhat "squashed" in form. Black dots are present within the individual "digits".
BOD: Antennae black with white tips to clubs on underside. Upperside of head black with two pairs of small white spots. Upperside of thorax and abdomen black. Underside of abdomen greyish with white median line. Underside of thorax white, black laterally. Legs black above and white below. Labial palps black, white laterally. Proboscis black. Eyes grey.
MMT: A small Biblid. CL - 22mm (21-23mm); BL - 17mm (16-18mm); AB - 8mm (7-9mm); WS - 43.5mm (42-45mm); HW - 3mm; AL - 10.5mm (10-11mm); n=2 (2M). (ECOSARA Biodiversity Database)
SSP: Most easily identified by the broad, vertical, turquoise medial crescent across the forewing which is not present in other Diaethria. When viewed ventrally the central 88 pattern distinguishes it from Diaethria candrena which has an 80 pattern lacking black dots in the 8. Callicore butterflies and Paulogramma pyracmon are superficially similar but have a yellow rather than a white base colour to the underwing and extensive red on the dorsal forewing which is never present in Diaethria.
ABU: Frequent to abundant in suitable habitat.
HAB: Most common in humid forest and edge, less common in gardens in humid areas.
HOS: Plants in the families Celtidiceae, including Celtis and Trema, and Sterculiaceae such as Theobroma (Canals 2003).
Citable Reference: Smith P (2007) FAUNA Paraguay Online Handbook of Paraguayan Fauna Butterfly Species Account 22 Diaethria clymena
Last Updated: 30 November 2007.
References:
Canals G 2003 Mariposas de Misiones - LOLA, Buenos Aires.
ECOSARA Biodiversity Database