Yramea cytheris is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. The species was first described by the entomologist Dru Drury in 1773, based on specimens from the Falkland Islands. In some taxonomic treatments the species is placed in the genus Issoria.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Nymphalidae
- Genus: Yramea
- Species: Y. cytheris
Synonyms
The species has been listed under several synonymous names, including Papilio cytheris (Drury, 1773), Argynnis cytheris falklandica (Watkins, 1924), Argynnis cytheris siga (Geyer, 1832), Argynnis anna (Blanchard, 1852), Argynnis chilensis (Reed, 1877), and Chilargynnis cytheris subtusviola (Bryk, 1944).
Description
Adults have a wingspan of approximately 32 mm (1 ¼ inches). The upperside of the head, thorax, abdomen, and both pairs of wings is dark brown. The forewings (anterior wings) are brown‑orange with numerous small black spots of varying shapes; the area near the body is darker and covered with fine hairs. The hindwings (posterior wings) share the same coloration and spotting pattern, also darker and hairy near the body.
The underside differs in coloration: the palpi are reddish, and the forewings are a sandy orange, paler than the upperside, featuring a white streak near the anterior margin and a nearby dark‑red cloud. The hindwings are dark red with several faint cloud‑like markings; each hindwing bears a narrow white streak about 6 mm long near its middle and a shorter white streak near the anterior edge. All wing margins are smooth (entire).
Distribution and Subspecies
- Yramea cytheris cytheris – endemic to the Falkland Islands.
- Yramea cytheris siga (Geyer, 1832) – recorded in Chile and Argentina.
Ecology
The species inhabits the Falkland Islands and parts of southern South America, where it occupies habitats suitable for its larval host plants, though specific plant associations are not detailed in the available sources.
References
- Drury, D. (1773). Original species description.
- Savela, M. (n.d.). Issoria Hübner, [1819]. Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms.
- Wikipedia contributors. (2024). Yramea cytheris. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yramea_cytheris.
