South American Tropical Buckeye

South American Tropical Buckeye

Junonia evarete

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Recife

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

7 Verified sightings at Recife
September Best month

About the South American Tropical Buckeye

Junonia evarete (Cramer, 1779), the tropical buckeye or South American tropical buckeye, is a South American butterfly of the nymphalid (Nymphalidae) family. It has characteristic eye spots on the wings, which have a wingspan between 4.5 and 6.5 cm (1.8 and 2.6 in). This butterfly is easily confused with Junonia genoveva, the mangrove buckeye. Not only have the common names mangrove and tropical buckeye been confused, but the butterflies themselves have been sometimes misidentified in past literature because the two species have many variations, subspecies and seasonal forms, which makes them difficult to identify or differentiate. Phylogenetic studies demonstrate the separation of evarete and genoveva, but evidence suggests that subspecies and perhaps more species await their descriptions within this group.

The tropical buckeye is found in tropical and subtropical South America. It inhabits tropical plains, shrub and scrub areas, islands, primary and secondary forests, and urbanized and suburbanized habitats. With a very fast and low flight, the tropical buckeye prefers open and sunny fields. Adults are nectarivores. Males generally stay in the vegetation or on the ground... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 São Luís 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
2 Recife 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 Porto Alegre 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
4 Maceió 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
5 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
6 Curitiba 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
7 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
8 Vitória 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
9 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a South American Tropical Buckeye in Recife?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a South American Tropical Buckeye sighting in Recife on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 35th most-seen of the 67 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a South American Tropical Buckeye in Recife?

September

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a South American Tropical Buckeye in Recife on a given day, against under 5% in July and October–March, the lowest months. That is one of Recife's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain against 260 mm in June.

Is Recife the best place to see a South American Tropical Buckeye?

2nd of 9

Of the 9 cities where we can rate South American Tropical Buckeye sightings, Recife ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in São Luís (Brazil, about 20%).

Which relatives of the South American Tropical Buckeye live in Recife?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the South American Tropical Buckeye that you can see in Recife (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are White Peacock (about 30%), Mexican Fritillary (about 30%) and Dirce Beauty (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the South American Tropical Buckeye sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the South American Tropical Buckeye is recorded against all the insects logged in Recife (7 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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