Charaxinae
Guides
Anaea troglodyta
Florida leafwing, Portia, Florida goatweed butterfly, Jamaican tropical leafwing, Cuban red leaf
A Nymphalidae butterfly with a wingspan of 76–90 mm, found in southern Florida and throughout the Caribbean. The species exhibits seasonal polyphenism, with distinct dry-season and wet-season forms. Larvae feed on Croton species, while adults consume rotting fruit, dung, and fluids. Taxonomic status is contested: some authorities recognize over 230 species in the genus Anaea, while others (following Lamas 2004) treat all populations as a single species, Anaea troglodyta.
Anaeini
Anaeini is a tribe of brush-footed butterflies in the family Nymphalidae, subfamily Charaxinae. These Neotropical butterflies are renowned for their remarkable dead leaf mimicry: when at rest with wings closed, the undersides closely resemble dried, brown foliage. The tribe includes approximately nine genera, among them Anaea, Memphis, Fountainea, Zaretis, and Hypna. Some taxonomic uncertainty exists regarding the placement of Anaeomorpha, which is sometimes included in Anaeini but more frequently assigned to the related tribe Preponini.
Archaeoprepona
Preponas
Archaeoprepona is a genus of Neotropical charaxine butterflies in the family Nymphalidae, established by Hans Fruhstorfer in 1916. The genus comprises approximately eight species distributed from Mexico through Central America to northern South America and the Caribbean. These butterflies are characterized by dark upperside wing surfaces with distinct bright blue bands, contrasting with pale brownish undersides. Most species were originally described in other genera, notably Papilio and Prepona, before being transferred to Archaeoprepona. The genus has been subject to taxonomic revision, with Noreppa synonymised under Archaeoprepona based on morphological and molecular evidence from immature stages.
Fountainea
Fountainea is a genus of Neotropical leaf butterflies in the family Nymphalidae, established by Rydon in 1971. The genus contains eight species known for their remarkable camouflage: when at rest with wings closed, their undersides closely resemble dead leaves. The genus was named in honor of Margaret Fountaine, a renowned entomologist. These butterflies are part of the Charaxinae subfamily, a group known for their robust bodies and often cryptic wing patterns.
Hypna
jazzy leafwing, marbled leafwing, silver-studded leafwing
Hypna is a monotypic butterfly genus in the family Nymphalidae, containing only Hypna clytemnestra. The species is the largest member of the tribe Anaeini and is known for its striking leaf-mimicry. The common names jazzy leafwing, marbled leafwing, and silver-studded leafwing refer to this single species. It is considered uncommon across its range.
Hypna clytemnestra
Silver-studded Leafwing, Jazzy Leafwing, Marbled Leafwing
Hypna clytemnestra is the sole species in the monotypic genus Hypna, a leafwing butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. The species is known by multiple common names reflecting its distinctive wing patterning. It is classified within the subfamily Charaxinae, tribe Anaeini, a group characterized by robust bodies and often cryptic, leaf-mimicking wing shapes.
Memphis
Memphis is a Neotropical genus of brush-footed butterflies in the subfamily Charaxinae, described by Jacob Hübner in 1819. The genus belongs to the family Nymphalidae and is part of the tribe Anaeini. These butterflies are found exclusively in the Neotropical region.
Preponini
Preponini is a tribe of butterflies within the subfamily Charaxinae (Nymphalidae), comprising approximately 22 recognized species. Molecular systematics studies have significantly revised the group's classification: Anaeomorpha splendida was excluded to maintain tribal monophyly (reinstated as tribe Anaeomorphini), Noreppa was synonymized with Archaeoprepona, and Agrias was synonymized with Prepona. The tribe is distributed in the Neotropical region and includes some of the region's most visually striking butterflies.