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Nessaea

Nessaea
Nessaea batesii from French Guiana
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Tribe:	Epicaliini
Genus:	Nessaea Hübner, 1819
Type species
Papilio ancaeus Linnaeus, 1758
Species[1]
Nessaea aglaura Doubleday [1848] Nessaea ecuadorensis Talbot 1932 Nessaea batesii C. & R. Felder 1860 Nessaea magniplaga Röber 1928 Nessaea hewitsonii C. & R. Felder 1859 Nessaea obrinus Linnaeus 1758 Nessaea faventia Fruhstorfer 1910 Nessaea latifascia Röber 1928 Nessaea romani Bryk 1953 Nessaea regina Salvin 1869 Nessaea thalia Bargmann 1928
Synonyms
Epicallia Erichson, 1848 (non Hübner, [1820]: preoccupied) Polychroa Billberg, 1820

Nessaea is a genus of nymphalid butterflies found in the Neotropical realm. Unlike virtually all other butterflies with blue coloration, the blue colors in this genus are due to pigmentation [pterobilin (biliverdin IXγ)]^[2] rather than iridescence (e.g., Morpho species).

Species[edit]

Accepted species:^[1]

• Nessaea aglaura Doubleday [1848] – common olivewing, northern nessaea or Aglaura olivewing
• Nessaea ecuadorensis Talbot 1932
• Nessaea batesii C. & R. Felder 1860 – Bates olivewing
• Nessaea magniplaga Röber 1928
• Nessaea hewitsonii C. & R. Felder 1859 – Hewitson's olivewing
• Nessaea obrinus Linnaeus 1758 – obrina olivewing
• Nessaea faventia Fruhstorfer 1910
• Nessaea latifascia Röber 1928
• Nessaea romani Bryk 1953
• Nessaea regina Salvin 1869
• Nessaea thalia Bargmann 1928

Unaccepted species:^[1]

• Nessaea margaretha Krüger 1933 - unavailable name and infrasubspecific name
• Nessaea ancaeus Linnaeus 1767 - junior subjective synonym
• Nessaea lesoudieri Le Moult 1933 - junior subjective synonym
• Nessaea coniuncta Krüger 1933 - unavailable name and infrasubspecific name

Images[edit]

• 
  Nessaea aglaura
• 
  Nessaea batesii males
• 
  Nessaea obrinus female - upperside
• 
  Nessaea obrinus male - upperside
• 
  Nessaea obrinus - underside
• 
  Obrinus olivewing (N. obrinus faventia, male, Brazil

References[edit]

• Vane-Wright, R.I. 1979. The coloration, identification and phylogeny of Nessaea butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology, 38: 27–56.

External links[edit]

• Media related to Nessaea at Wikimedia Commons
• Images representing Nessaea at Encyclopedia of Life
• "Nessaea Hübner, [1819]" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms

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