Cramer's Eighty-eight (Diaethria clymena [Cramer])
Wing span: 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 inches (3.8 - 4.4 cm).
Identification: Upperside is black with iridescent blue bands at the margins. Underside of forewing is red; hindwing is white with a black outlined "88" or "89."
Life history: Not reported.
Flight: February-July in Florida, March-November in South America.
Caterpillar hosts: In Brazil, Trema micrantha in the elm family (Ulmaceae).
Adult food: Decaying fruit, dung.
Habitat: Wet tropical forests.
Range: South America. Occasionally strays to South Florida.
Conservation: Not required for rare stray.
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:
DeVries, P. J. 1987. The butterflies of Costa Rica and their natural history. Papilionidae, Pieridae, Nymphalidae. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 327 pages,50 color plates. 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