About Anartia amathea (Linnaeus, 1758)
Anartia amathea, commonly known as the brown peacock, scarlet peacock, or red peacock, is a species of nymphalid butterfly that is primarily found in South America. This species is very similar to the banded peacock, Anartia fatima, which mainly occurs north of the range of Anartia amathea. The species' type locality is probably Suriname, and its range extends from Panama to Argentina, and also includes Grenada, Barbados, and Antigua. It feeds on nectar. Anartia amathea is reported to be common in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, the Brazilian highlands, the eastern Amazon, the Guianas, Venezuela, Panama, Trinidad, and other Caribbean islands. Records of this species from North America are either misidentifications or refer to stray individuals. Most larval host plants for this species have not been determined, but known hosts belong to the plant families Acanthaceae and Labiatae.
