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 73 - 96 of 196 verified sightings
Observation date: Mar 10, 2016
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Dec 22, 2010
Submitted by: Charlie Doggett
Region: Limon, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 11, 2022
Observation date: Jan 14, 2013
Submitted by: Tee-tee
Region: Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 04, 2022
Observation date: Jan 21, 2013
Submitted by: Tee-tee
Region: Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 03, 2022
Observation date: Dec 05, 2016
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Aug 01, 2022
Observation date: Dec 02, 2016
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 31, 2022
Observation date: Dec 06, 2016
Submitted by: bobscafe
Region: Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 30, 2022
Observation date: Jan 24, 2017
Submitted by: janhermanns
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 28, 2022
Observation date: Mar 03, 2018
Submitted by: Reiner Jakubowski
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 25, 2022
Observation date: Jun 22, 2019
Submitted by: Alcascante
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 24, 2022
Observation date: Jan 18, 2020
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jul 24, 2022
Observation date: May 28, 2013
Submitted by: chuck meier
Region: Costa Rica
Verified by: Charlie Doggett
Verified date: Jun 29, 2022
Observation date: Mar 17, 2008
Submitted by: Allen B
Region: Dominican Republic
Verified by: Allen B
Verified date: Jan 25, 2022
Observation date: Jan 16, 2021
Submitted by: Anne Joy
Region: Palm Beach County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Mar 21, 2021
Observation date: Oct 29, 2020
Submitted by: gpstewart
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jan 01, 2021
Observation date: Nov 06, 2020
Submitted by: bjones7777
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 22, 2020
Observation date: Nov 05, 2018
Submitted by: Ron Smith
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 16, 2020
Observation date: Aug 08, 2020
Submitted by: gpstewart
Region: Texas, Uvalde County, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Aug 12, 2020
Observation date: Sep 13, 2018
Submitted by: MaynorOvando
Region: Escuintla, Guatemala
Verified by: Doug Taron
Verified date: Sep 18, 2019
Observation date: Nov 07, 2018
Submitted by: Craig M Lipski
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 15, 2018
Observation date: Nov 08, 2018
Submitted by: Craig M Lipski
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 15, 2018
Observation date: Nov 06, 2018
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Nov 13, 2018
Observation date: Aug 19, 2018
Submitted by: Ron Smith
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 21, 2018
Observation date: Jun 19, 2018
Submitted by: John Calhoun (Craig Huegel via Linda Cooper)
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: John Calhoun
Verified date: Aug 21, 2018
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