Archonias

Archonias is a monotypic genus of butterflies in the family Pieridae. Archonias brassolis, the cattleheart white, is its sole species. It is found from Central America, south through most of South America.

A. b. tereas

Cattleheart white
A. b. negrina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pieridae
Genus: Archonias
Hübner, 1825
Species:
A. brassolis
Binomial name
Archonias brassolis
(Fabricius, 1777)
Synonyms

Genus:

  • Euterpe Swainson, 1831
  • Clio Herrich-Schäffer, 1858

Species:

  • Papilio brassolis Fabricius, 1777
  • Papilio bellona Cramer, 1775 (preocc. Fabricius, 1775)
  • Papilio erycinia Cramer, 1777
  • Heliconia braselis Godart, 1819
  • Papilio tereas Godart, [1819]
  • Euterpe terea Swainson, 1831
  • Priamides julius Hübner, 1823
  • Archonias marcias Hübner, 1825
  • Euterpe critias C. & R. Felder, 1859
  • Euterpe negrina C. & R. Felder, 1862
  • Archonias bellona hyrnetho Fruhstorfer, 1907
  • Euterpe approximata Butler, 1873
  • Archonias approximata Godman & Salvin, [1889]
  • Archonias cutila Fruhstorfer, 1907

The wingspan is 56–65 mm for A. b. rubrosparsa and 31–34 mm for A. b. approximata.

Although Archonias brassolis is a member of the whites family, it is primarily black, with red hindwing patches and white forewing patches. It is geographically variable, with some forms being remarkable mimics of various Parides swallowtails, while others strongly resemble Heliconius. It is likely that these butterflies are themselves unpalatable and thus Müllerian mimics.

The larvae feed on Loranthaceae species and are gregarious. Adults of A. b. approximata have been recorded feeding on the nectar of Eupatorium species.

Subspecies
  • A. b. approximata (Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama)
  • A. b. brassolis (Surinam, Guianas)
  • A. b. critias (Venezuela, Colombia)
  • A. b. cutila (Ecuador)
  • A. b. marcias (Brazil)
  • A. b. negrina (Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru)
  • A. b. nigripennis (Colombia)
  • A. b. rosacea (Ecuador, Venezuela)
  • A. b. rubrosparsa (Ecuador)
  • A. b. tereas (Brazil)

There is also one undescribed subspecies from Colombia.

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