Stats

Lifespan: A few months
Size: Medium
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Tropical rainforest
Range: Central and South America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Rare

About

The glasswing butterfly's wings are almost entirely transparent — the wing membrane lacks pigment scales over most of its surface, making the insect nearly invisible in flight. Adults sip nectar from toxic Asteraceae flowers, sequestering pyrrolizidine alkaloids that make them unpalatable to predators.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2.
caterpillar
A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3.
chrysalis
A chrysalis hangs sealed and still while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4.
butterfly
A winged adult with full scales and coloration, ready to fly and mate.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Greta
Species: Greta morgane