The species Methona confusa, commonly known as the giant glasswing, was
named in 1873 by the famous English entomologist Arthur
Gardiner Butler in his concise work, Tropical Butterflies
and Moths. Until recently M. confusa existed in the public domain
only as preserved specimens highly prized by collectors; Although
not particularly rare in the wild, captive bred specimens were non existent in
the UK until recently, when our farm was fortunate to be in a position to
acquire pupae, of which many healthy butterflies emerged this spring. M.
confusa is an almost transparent species from the Nymphalidae family that is
found in lowland rainforests in Brazil, Panama, Ecuador and Peru. They have a
wingspan of about 90mm - 100mm (3.7 in approx) making them relatively large when
compared to the true glasswing - Greta oto. M. confusa have
transparent wings with black margins and black cross-bars on the forewings and
hindwings. The Margins of the hindwings display a series of small spots. The
abdomen has a series of double parallel white spots and theantennae are black with bright yellow tips.
M. comfusa are unpalatable to birds so many other butterfly species
mimic them. They are primarily found in wet rainforests at altitudes of about
200 - 700 m above sea level.
Sub species:
[1] Methona
confusa confusa - (Brazil)
[2] M. confusa psamathe - (Ecuador & Peru)
[3] M. confusa ssp. - (Panama)
The Stratford Butterfly Farm is a pioneering establishment, hence the
acquisition of many rare (in captivity) or unusual species. For enthusiasts in
this field, to see free flying M. confusa in captivity is a unique
and inspiring opportunity which I highly recommend.
