Siproeta epaphus

Rusty Tipped Page

Basic Information

General information

Family: “Nymphalidae”
Sub Family: “Charaxinae”
Estimated Lifespan 16 Days

Garden Specific Information

Estimated Number In Flight: 9
Total Number of Pupae Received: 3500
First Flown On: 10/21/02
Last Flown On: 11/14/24

Species Range:

  • “SouthAmerica”

Host plants:

  • The larvae feed on plants in the family Acanthaceae
  • especially those in the genus Ruellia and Blechum.

Food Source

Adults can be found nectaring on a variety of flowers including Lantana, Croton, Impatiens and Stachytrapheta. They are also known to feed on rotting fruit.

Etymology Of Name

Siproeta is currently unknown. In Greek mythology Epaphus is the son of Zeus and Io who founded the city of Memphis in Egypt.

Habitat

The Rusty Tip is found in wet subtropical forests, especially along the forest edge and river banks.

Life history

Females patrol the forest edge looking for young plants to oviposit on. Eggs are laid in loose clusters and when the caterpillar hatches out they feed on the fresh leaves until they pupate.

Flights

Adult Rusty Tip butterflies can be found all year round in tropical areas.

Fun Facts

While they are not considered to be a native of the Unitied States there have been a couple of reports of strays that made their way into the border states. The Malachite (Siprotea stelenes) and the Rusty Tip are closely related and while the adults look fairly different their chrysilides look almost the same.