Ithomeis
genus of insects
Ithomeis is a genus in the butterfly family Riodinidae present only in the Neotropical realm.
Species
Ithomeis aurantiaca Bates, 1862 present in Guyana, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru
Ithomeis eulema Hewitson, 1870 present in Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela and Colombia
Biology
Both species are mimics. The pattern of black, orange, and large translucent areas found in Ithomeis is shared by toxic genera from the Ithomiinae (examples are Ithomia and Oleria) and a number of toxic Arctiidae. The pattern is also shared with several other Riodinidae genera (examples are Stalachtis, Ithomiola, and Brachyglenis), which may be part of mimicry rings.
I. aurantiaca has several subspecies; some are very different in appearance and were formerly regarded as full species. I. a. satellites and I. a. astrea closely resemble species of Heliconius. Other subspecies include I. a. mimica and I a.
The public source identifies “Ithomeis” as genus of insects. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Ithomeis, genus and insects.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1763914. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1862 and 1870.
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This entry incorporates text from “Ithomeis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.