Baeotus aeilus
WINGSPAN 7.5cm (3in)
HABITAT Lowland wet tropical forests
DISTRIBUTION Costa Rica to the Amazon basin
LIFESPAN 14 days
MALES AND FEMALES Males have a band of reflective blue scales on their upperside, while the females are banded with pale orange
Incredibly rare, these beautiful butterflies like to hang out on riverbanks or anywhere the soil is wet and rich in mineral salts. They live on a diet of rotten fruit. In folklore from this region the butterfly is associated with both fire and water and it’s easy to see how the ancients could draw this conclusion by looking at the colours and the habitat of these winged creatures. With its vivid and distinct blue-black upperside and speckled black-and-white with orange underside, the Amazon Beauty lives up to its name.