Malachite
Siproeta stelenes (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
Identification: Upperside is dark brown to black with translucent whitish green or yellow-green patches. Underside is orange-brown with greenish patches. Dry season (winter) form is larger and the hindwing underside has smudged black marks inside the orange marginal band; wet season (summer) form is smaller and has silver marks instead of black smudges.
Wing Span: 3 1/4 - 4 inches (8.3 - 10.1 cm).
Life History: Males perch on shrubs in forest or orchard openings and sometimes patrol for females with a slow, floating flight. Adults roost together under the leaves of low shrubs. Eggs are laid singly on host plant leaves, which caterpillars eat and rest beneath.
Flight: Two to three broods during the summer; one brood of the winter form hibernates.
Caterpillar Hosts: Cafetin (Blechum brownei) and ruellia (Ruellia coccinea) in the family Acanthaceae.
Adult Food: Rotting fruit. Occasionally feeds on bird droppings and nectar from flowers of lianas, trees, and sometimes herbaceous plants. Malachites may feed all day long and may fly to flowers 38 feet high in the canopy.
Habitat: Mango, citrus, and avocado orchards in Florida; subtropical evergreen or semideciduous forests in Central America.
Range: Brazil north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to southern Florida and South Texas. A rare stray into Kansas. Comments: The southern Florida populations have become established since the 1960s; presumably having emigrated from Cuba.
Conservation: Monitor United States populations.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 145 - 168 of 195 verified sightings
Observation date: Oct 16, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mike Overton, Paul Opler)
Region: Tamaulipas, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Mike Overton)
Verified date: Oct 01, 2007
Observation date: Oct 15, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mike Overton, Paul Opler)
Region: Tamaulipas, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Mike Overton)
Verified date: Oct 01, 2007
Observation date: Oct 16, 2006
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mike Overton, Paul Opler)
Region: Tamaulipas, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier (Mike Overton)
Verified date: Oct 01, 2007
Observation date: Jan 06, 2004
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Alana Edwards)
Region: Highlands County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (J. Calhoun)
Verified date: Aug 30, 2007
Observation date: Jun 28, 2003
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Anne LiConti)
Region: Brevard County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (J. Calhoun)
Verified date: Aug 30, 2007
Observation date: Jun 25, 1905
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Alana Edwards)
Region: Okeechobee County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (J. Calhoun)
Verified date: Aug 30, 2007
Observation date: Aug 04, 2003
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Trase Rowland)
Region: St. Lucie County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (J. Calhoun)
Verified date: Aug 30, 2007
Observation date: Jan 09, 2004
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Alana Edwards)
Region: Martin County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (J. Calhoun)
Verified date: Aug 30, 2007
Observation date: Jan 01, 2004
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (Mark Salvato)
Region: Indian River County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (J. Calhoun)
Verified date: Aug 30, 2007
Observation date: Jan 05, 2002
Submitted by: legacy.reporter (North American Butterfly Association (NABA) of South Texas))
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier (North American Butterfly Association (NABA) of South Texas))
Verified date: Jan 29, 2007
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Key Largo County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Sonora, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Bandera County, Texas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Key West County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Nuevo Leon, Mexico
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Frio County, Texas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Texas, San Patricio County, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Monroe County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Sarasota County, Florida, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Scott County, Kansas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Bell County, Texas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Hays County, Texas, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
Observation date: unknown
Submitted by: legacy.reporter
Region: Texas, Nueces County, United States
Verified by: legacy.verifier
Verified date: Dec 31, 2004
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