| Zeuxidia amethystus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In William Lucas Distant's Rhopalocera Malayana | |
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Zeuxidia |
| Species: | Z. amethystus |
| Binomial name | |
| Zeuxidia amethystus Butler, 1865 | |
Zeuxidia amethystus, the common Saturn, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1865. This butterfly is relatively large and striking. Its forewings have a broad iridescent-blue band with a similar blue patch on the hindwing. It is not abundant in Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.[clarification needed] It has only be observed in dense forests. It can be approached while feeding on fermenting fallen fruits. Its flight period extends from May to September.[1] It obtains minerals using mud-puddling behavior and seem to be prefer ammonium ions rather than sodium.[2]
It is sometimes collected and displayed as fine wall art.
Saturn butterfly from Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Saturn (Zeuxidia amethystus) from Bukit Timah nature reserve, Singapore
.jpg)
References
- ↑ Jansen, Tom. "Butterflies - Morphinae - Zeuxidia amethystus amethystus". samuibutterflies.com. Retrieved 2014-11-02.
- ↑ Erhardt, A. & Rusterholz, H.P. (1998): Do Peacock butterflies (Inachis io) detect and prefer nectar amino acids and other nitrogenous compounds? Oecologia 117(4): 536-542. doi:10.1007/s004420050690 (HTML abstract)
 | This Morphinae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |