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Banded Peacock (Anartia fatima [Fabricius]) Wing span: 2 3/8 - 2 5/8 inches (6 - 7 cm).
Identification: Upperside is brown. Forewing has cream or white median and submarginal bands. Hindwing has a cream or white submarginal band and a broken red median band.
Life history: Males patrol for receptive females. Eggs are laid on the sepals and bracts of flower clusters.
Flight: Throughout the year in South Texas.
Caterpillar hosts: Ruellia in South Texas, other Acanthaceae southward.
Adult food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Subtropical open and disturbed areas such as fields, weedy places, orchards, and second growth.
Range: Panama north through Central America to Mexico. Wanders and occasionally colonizes to central and South Texas.
Conservation: Not required for an infrequent colonist.
The Nature Conservancy Global Rank: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management needs: None reported.
References:
Opler, P. A. and V. Malikul. 1992. A field guide to eastern butterflies. Peterson
field guide #4. Houghton-Mifflin Co., Boston. 396 pages, 48 color plates.
Scott, J. A. 1986. The butterflies of North America. Stanford University Press,
Stanford, Calif. 583 pages, 64 color plates.
Author: Jane M. Struttmann
State and Regional References:
Opler, Paul A. 1999. Peterson Field Guide to Western Butterflies, revised
edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Mass.
Stanford, R.E. and P.A. Opler. 1993. Atlas of Western USA Butterflies.
Privately published, Denver, Colo.
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