Every few months a particular species will feature here which illustrates certain biological aspects common to tropical Andean butterflies.
Previous "Butterfly highlights" are archived here.

June 2006 Oleria baizana baizana Haensch, 1903 © Keith Willmott A male feeds on an Asteraceae flower in the early morning to obtain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, used to synthesize pheromones to attract females, as well as provide chemical protection from predators. Range: 1650-2600m at several localities in NE Ecuador only (Sucumbíos, Napo); recently described O. b. munaycha occurs only in Tungurahua. Localities for O. baizana Status: locally common near and within primary cloud forest, where adult males perch from 6-10m in tall forest on ridgetops; immature stages unknown.	September 2006 Memphis lorna (H. Druce, 1877) © Keith Willmott A male resting on river gravel after feeding, presumably seeking salts. Range: confined to a narrow elevational range, from 1700-2200m, occurring from E Colombia to SE Ecuador only. Localities for M. lorna Status: rarely seen but males can be locally common in primary cloud forest in traps baited with rotting fish; immature stages unknown.	January 2007 Lymanopoda confusa F.M. Brown, 1943 © Keith Willmott A male "puddling" on gravel in the Quebrada del Diablo, with the riodinid Siseme aristoteles (Latreille, 1809) in the background. Range: like many pronophiline satyrines, one of the most diverse and abundant groups of butterflies in Andean cloud forest, this species has a highly restricted range, being confined to extreme southern Ecuador (Zamora-Chinchipe) from 1900-2900m. Localities for L. confusa Status: rare and local, males are typically seen on damp gravel along steep mountain rivers through cloud forest, often in the company of the similar but much more common Lymanopoda obsoleta (Westwood, 1851); females are extremely rare.	April 2007 Adelpha alala Hewitson, 1847 © Keith Willmott A male feeding on sweat on a leaf in Ecuador. Range: one of the most widespread and typical Andean species, occurring from northern Venezuela (Cordillera de la Costa) to northern Argentina, from 450-2600m. Localities for A. alala Status: males are often abundant along mountain streams in cloud forest, and even range into lowland rain forest in the east Andean foothills. Females are, however, extremely scarce in collections, and the life history of this species was unknown until 1996.
September 2007 Hypanartia lindigii C. & R. Felder, 1862 © Keith Willmott A male perching on a hilltop in Parque Nacional Podocarpus, southern Ecuador. Range: Colombia to southern Peru, from 2000-3500m. Localities for H. lindigii Status: a local and uncommon species, of which females are very rare. Males may be found puddling along mountain streams in cloud forest or perching on low vegetation on open hilltops, as in this photograph. Five Hypanartia species, or 35% of the genus, were undescribed before 1998.