Adelpha

Adelpha is a genus of brush-footed butterflies found from the southern United States and Mexico to South America. They are commonly known as sisters, due to the white markings on their wings, which resemble a nun's habit.^[1] This genus is sometimes included with the admiral butterflies (Limenitis).

Adelpha
Band-celled sister (A. fessonia)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Tribe:	Limenitidini
Genus:	Adelpha Hübner, 1819
Species
See text
Synonyms
Heterochroa Boisduval, [1836]

Species

Listed alphabetically within species group:^[2][3]

The alala species group:

• Adelpha alala (Hewitson, 1847) – Alala sister
• Adelpha aricia (Hewitson, 1847)
• Adelpha corcyra (Hewitson, 1847)
• Adelpha donysa (Hewitson, 1847) – montane sister
• Adelpha pithys (Bates, 1864) – pithys sister
• Adelpha tracta (Butler, 1872) – tracta sister

Adelpha alala

The capucinus species group:

• Adelpha barnesia Schaus, 1902 – Barnes' sister
• Adelpha capucinus (Walch, 1775) – capycinus sister
• Adelpha epizygis Fruhstorfer, 1915
• Adelpha fabricia Fruhstorfer, 1913

The cocala species group:

• Adelpha argentea Willmott & Hall, 1995
• Adelpha boreas (Butler, 1866) – gaudy sister
• Adelpha cocala (Cramer, 1779) – cocala sister, orange-washed sister
• Adelpha coryneta (Hewitson, 1874)
• Adelpha erymanthis Godman & Salvin, 1884 – Godman's sister
• Adelpha felderi (Boisduval, 1870) – rusty sister, Felder's sister
• Adelpha irmina (Doubleday, 1848) – Irmina sister
• Adelpha jordani (Fruhstorfer, 1913) – Jordan's sister
• Adelpha justina (C. & R. Felder, 1861)
• Adelpha lamasi Willmott & Hall, 1999
• Adelpha leucophthalma (Latreille, 1809) – Veracruz sister
• Adelpha levona Steinhauser & Miller, 1977
• Adelpha milleri Beutelspacher, 1976 – cloistered sister
• Adelpha olynthia (C. & R. Felder, 1867) – Olynthia sister
• Adelpha rothschildi Fruhstorfer, 1913
• Adelpha salus Hall, 1935 – lost sister
• Adelpha saundersii (Hewitson, 1867) – Saunder's sister
• Adelpha shuara Willmott & Hall, 1995
• Adelpha sichaeus (Butler, 1866)
• Adelpha stilesiana DeVries & Chacón, 1982
• Adelpha zina (Hewitson, 1867) – Zina sister

Adelpha thessalia

The iphiclus species group:

• Adelpha abyla (Hewitson, 1850) – Jamaican sister
• Adelpha basiloides (Bates, 1865) – spot-celled sister
• Adelpha calliphane Fruhstorfer, 1915
• Adelpha falcipennis Fruhstorfer, 1915
• Adelpha gavina Fruhstorfer, 1915
• Adelpha iphicleola (Bates, 1864) – confusing sister
• Adelpha iphiclus (Linnaeus, 1758) – pointed sister
• Adelpha mythra (Godart, 1824) – Mythra sister
• Adelpha plesaure Hübner, 1823 – pleasure sister
• Adelpha poltius Hall, 1938
• Adelpha thessalia (C. & R. Felder, 1867) – Thessalia sister
• Adelpha thoasa (Hewitson, 1850) – thoasa sister

Adelpha plesaure

The phylaca species group:

• Adelpha erotia (Hewitson, 1847) – stitched sister
• Adelpha lycorias (Godart, 1824) – rayed sister
• Adelpha mesentina (Cramer, 1777) – mesentina sister
• Adelpha phylaca (Bates, 1866) – Cecropia sister
• Adelpha messana (C. & R. Felder, 1867) – Messana or Thesprotia sister

A. mesentina

A. messana delphicola
Southern Amazon, Brazil

The serpa species group:

• Adelpha bredowii Geyer, 1837 – Bredow's sister
• Adelpha californica (Butler, 1865) – California sister
• Adelpha diocles Godman & Salvin, 1878 – tailed sister
• Adelpha eulalia E. Doubleday, 1848) – Arizona sister
• Adelpha herbita Weymer, 1907
• Adelpha hyas (Doyère, 1840)
• Adelpha nea (Hewitson, 1847) – Nea sister
• Adelpha paraena (Bates, 1865) – Massilia sister, Bates' sister
• Adelpha paroeca (Bates, 1864) – eyed sister
• Adelpha radiata Fruhstorfer, 1915 – striated sister
• Adelpha seriphia (C. & R. Felder, 1867) – dentate sister
• Adelpha serpa (Boisduval, 1836) – celerio sister, celadon sister
• Adelpha zea (Hewitson, 1850) – Zea sister

Adelpha californica

Ungrouped:

• Adelpha abia (Hewitson, 1850)
• Adelpha amazona Austin & Jasinski, 1999
• Adelpha atlantica Willmott, 2003
• Adelpha attica (C. & R. Felder, 1867) – Attica sister
• Adelpha boeotia (C. & R. Felder, 1867) – Felder's sister
• Adelpha cytherea (Linnaeus, 1758) – smooth-banded sister
• Adelpha demialba (Butler, 1872) – white-spotted sister
• Adelpha delinita Fruhstorfer, 1913 – Fruhstorfer's Sister or delineated sister
• Adelpha diazi Beutelspacher, 1975 – Diaz's sister
• Adelpha ethelda (Hewitson, 1867) – silver-banded sister
• Adelpha epione (Godart, 1824) – white-barred sister
• Adelpha fessonia (Hewitson, 1847) – Mexican sister, band-celled sister
• Adelpha gelania (Godart, 1824) – Antillean sister
• Adelpha heraclea (C. & R. Felder, 1867) – Heraclea sister
• Adelpha hesterbergi Willmott & Hall, 1999
• Adelpha leuceria (Druce, 1874) – orange-striped sister
• Adelpha leucerioides Beutelspacher, 1975 – Veracruz sister
• Adelpha malea (C. & R. Felder, 1861) – Venezuelan sister
• Adelpha melona (Hewitson, 1847) – Mellona sister
• Adelpha naxia (C. & R. Felder, 1867) – Naxia sister, three-part sister
• Adelpha pollina Fruhstorfer, 1915
• Adelpha salmoneus (Butler, 1866) – golden-banded sister
• Adelpha syma (Godart, 1824) – Syma sister
• Adelpha viola Fruhstorfer, 1913

• 
  Adelpha fessonia
• 
  Adelpha melona
• 
  Adelpha syma
• 
  Montane sister (Adelpha donysa), Guatemala
• 
  Adelpha cytherea - MHNT
• 
  Adelpha epione - MHNT
• 
  Adelpha viola - MHNT

See also

• Doxocopa - A genus of butterflies whose females closely resemble Adelpha species

References

1. National Audubon Society (1981). Robert Michael Pyle (ed.). The Audubon Society field guide to North American butterflies. Knopf. ISBN 9780394519142.
2. "Adelpha Hübner, [1819]" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
3. Jeffrey Glassberg (2007). A Swift Guide to the Butterflies of Mexico and Central America. Sunstreak Books Inc. ISBN 978-1-4243-0915-3. pp.97-101.

External links

• images representing Adelpha at Consortium for the Barcode of Life