Memphis beatrix
species of insect
Memphis beatrix is a species of leafwing found in South America (Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador).
Subspecies
Memphis beatrix pseudiphis Staudinger, 1887[4]. Considered by some to be a species Memphis pseudiphis.
Description
Memphis beatrix is a butterfly with a wingspan of about 50 mm, with forewings with a humped costal edge, angular apex, almost straight outer edge, hook-like inner angle and very concave inner edge. Each hindwing bears a tail. The upper part is navy blue, almost black, with a more or less important metallic blue basal part and decorated on the forewings with a few blue spots near the apex. The underside is dark grey with metallic reflections and simulates a dead leaf.Seitz- A. beatrix Druce (120 C b) from Chiriqui is an imposing species. The female is beneath much greyer than the male. Seems not to be rare..
Biology
The host plants of its caterpillar are Piper.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Memphis beatrix” is species of insect. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Memphis, beatrix and species, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “species of insect” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
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 Jul 30, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q3305566. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1887.
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This entry incorporates text from “Memphis beatrix” 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.