Emperors
Guides
Apaturinae
emperors
Apaturinae is a subfamily of brush-footed butterflies (Nymphalidae) comprising approximately 20 genera and roughly 100 species commonly called 'emperors.' Members are distinguished by a green proboscis, strikingly colored upperwings, and cryptic underwings. The subfamily exhibits a disjunct global distribution, with most genera occurring in South and East Asia and Africa, while the genera Doxocopa and Asterocampa are primarily Neotropical and Nearctic. Larvae of at least some species possess a unique defensive mechanism: oral emission of volatile halitosis (alcohols and aldehydes/ketones with 4–5 carbon chains) when disturbed by predators.