Prepona omphale

Shoemaker

Basic Information

General information

Family: “Nymphalidae”
Sub Family: “Charaxinae”
Estimated Lifespan 7 Days

Garden Specific Information

Estimated Number In Flight: 0
Total Number of Pupae Received: 493
First Flown On: 03/10/03
Last Flown On: 04/26/24

Species Range:

  • “SouthAmerica”

Host plants:

  • The larvae are known to feed on Inga vera.

Food Source

As adults the Shoemakers feed on fermenting fruit and animal dung.

Etymology Of Name

The origin of the genus Prepona is currently unknown. In Greek mythology Omphale was queen of the kingdom of Lydia.

Habitat

The Shoemaker is primarily found in tropical forest with visits to the surrounding areas.

Life history

Males patrol for receptive females to mate with. After mating the female looks for host plants to lay her eggs on. The larvae feed on the host plant until they are ready to pupate.

Flights

The flight period of the wild Shoemakers is currently unknown.

Fun Facts

Shoemakers belong to the subfamily Charaxinae which means they are close relatives to the Charaxes butterflies. Shoemakers also share a lot of behavioral traits found in butterflies of the Charaxes genus. Both have similar adult food sources and both are strong aggressive fliers when they choose to take flight.