Insects of the Peruvian Amazon

In the Amazon rainforest, life also exists on a scale we sometimes forget to notice. Beneath a leaf, on a tree trunk, or among the flowers, insects are everywhere. Butterflies, beetles, stick insects, and countless other arthropods make up a remarkable share of the forest’s biodiversity, yet they often go unnoticed despite being essential to life as we know it.

This hidden diversity is exactly what I strive to observe and photograph. Behind every insect lies a story: a camouflage strategy, a relationship with a plant, a unique reproductive behavior, or an ingenious way of escaping predators.

This page brings together my encounters with the insects of the Peruvian Amazon. By taking the time to observe them, I hope to encourage you to look differently at this small world that surrounds us—a world that often remains invisible until we simply decide to slow down and pay attention.

You can also explore my other articles featuring the species I have encountered, including amphibians and birds, by clicking here.

If there is a particular species you would like me to feature, feel free to let me know in the comments. I’ll be happy to look for it during my next field outings, provided it can be found in the region, of course.

Urania leilus

Identification

The French name “Green Chinese” may seem surprising, since this butterfly actually lives exclusively in tropical America. This diurnal butterfly (one that flies during the day) was once classified among the “moths”. Today, it belongs to the order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and the family Uraniidae.

As an adult (imago), it is a large butterfly with a wingspan of 5 to 9 cm. Its wings are black, crossed by green lines ranging from green to turquoise. Its hindwings, edged in white, end in two long white tails. The bright colours of its wings are a warning that it is toxic to predators.

My encounter

The first time I saw this butterfly, I genuinely felt as though I had stepped into Alice in Wonderland. This large butterfly, with colours worthy of Avatar, suddenly flew in front of me. There was no way I could follow it: it was far too fast. On many occasions, I have felt that same sense of joy, that fleeting feeling of inhabiting another planet. It was last year that I first encountered it, and at the time, photographing it was simply impossible…

After a few outings, I eventually realised that these butterflies had their own habits. Although they are almost impossible to follow in flight, they regularly stop to feed, particularly on rocks along the river where they come to absorb mineral salts deposited by the water.

Since then, this is where my search begins. Unlike in France, where it is often possible to photograph butterflies that are still sluggish from the cool morning temperatures, the warmth of the Amazon makes them active very early in the day. I have not yet found any large flower-filled meadows like those I was used to back home.

So what a pleasure it was to discover several individuals gathered together on the rocks. They stay there long enough for me to approach and photograph them under good conditions.

Its habitat

My observations match the information I have found in the literature: its habitat mainly consists of dense forests located near rivers.

Butterflies have what is known as a host plant. This is the plant that their caterpillars feed on. The host plant of Urania leilus is a vine of the genus Omphalea, belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family, and it is toxic. By feeding on its leaves, the caterpillars accumulate these toxic substances and, in turn, become unpalatable to their predators. This toxicity is retained into adulthood, which probably explains the butterfly’s bright colours. If I am lucky enough to find some caterpillars, I will add a photograph here in the future. 😉

References

Wikipedia

Callicore cynosura

Identification

It is sometimes nicknamed the “BD” butterfly, referring to the characteristic patterns on its wings, which form the two letters “B” and “D”.

This butterfly belongs to the suborder Rhopalocera, which traditionally includes the “day-flying butterflies”, and to the family Nymphalidae. This family is notably characterized by its first pair of legs, which are greatly reduced and generally not used for walking. Nymphalidae therefore move using only two functional pairs of legs.

This highly diverse family includes Monarchs, Morphos, and the Meadow Brown, a very common butterfly in France.

Its patterns are particularly distinctive: the markings on its forewings make it relatively easy to identify, even when it is resting. However, be careful, as there are several species of Callicore.

My encounter

For me, this is one of the butterflies that best represents the image I have of the Amazon. It is the kind of species I had already seen in documentaries, on posters, or in various media featuring Latin America. Yet until then, I had never encountered one in the wild.

I finally had the chance to see one in San Roque de Cumbaza, near the Cumbaza River. It was resting on the sandbanks, not far from several Urania leilus mentioned earlier. Like them, it had come there to obtain mineral salts.

And this time, there was no need to chase after my subject! It remained quietly on the sand long enough for me to approach and photograph it. It was quite a different encounter from the one I had with the Urania leilus, whose particularly fast flight had given me a much harder time.

Its habitat

This butterfly is widely distributed throughout the Amazon rainforest, with a range extending notably from southern Brazil to northern Colombia.

Like many butterflies, it depends on one or more host plants for the development of its caterpillars. The host plant associated with this species is thought to belong to the Sapindaceae family, which includes several trees and vines found in tropical forests.

As an adult, its diet is quite different from that of many species that regularly visit flowers. It can often be observed on sandbanks and damp ground, where it absorbs mineral salts from the soil. It is also attracted to rotting fruit.

This behaviour is actually what allowed me to photograph it that day: instead of moving quickly through the forest in search of a flower, it was quietly settled along the Cumbaza River, just a few metres away from me.

References

Wikipedia