About the Scarce Bamboo Page
Philaethria dido, the scarce bamboo page or dido longwing, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Central America and tropical South America, both east and west of the Andes, from Brazil and Ecuador northwards to Mexico. Strays can sometimes be found in the lower Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas.
The butterflies have a wingspan of about 110 mm (4.3 in), and in Mexico are on the wing from July to December. The upper surface of the wings is black patterned with translucent green patches. The underside is similar with some brown streaks with gray scales. Philaethria dido is often confused with Siproeta stelenes. They have a similar coloration, but their wing shapes are different and whereas P. dido flies high in the canopy, S. stelenes is often to be seen in forest clearings and open secondary forest.
Three subspecies are recognized. Philaethria dido chocoensis is found only on the western side of the Andes, its range extending from Ecuador to the Chocó region in northwestern Colombia. Philaethria dido dido inhabits tropical rainforests of South America east of the Andes, from Colombia to Bolivia. Philaethria dido panamensis lives... Wikipedia →