Brownish Cracker (Hamadryas iphthime
Wing span: 2 3/4 - 3 1/8 inches (7 - 8 cm).
Identification: Upperside is mottled gray, brown, and white; forewing without a red bar in cell; hindwing submarginal spots with a black center containing a white crescent, then a light blue ring, a narrow brown ring, and finally an outer blue ring.
Life history: Eggs are laid singly under leaves of host plant; caterpillars eat leaves and are solitary. Adults perch on tree trunks head downward with their wings spread open; males await females and make a cracking noise when they dart out at other insects. Before dark, adults perch on a single tree, then disperse to roost in nearby trees or shrubs.
Flight: Throughout the year in the tropics; strayed to Texas in August.
Caterpillar hosts: Vine Dalechampia in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae).
Adult food: Rotting fruit and other non-floral resources.
Habitat: Openings and trails in wet tropical forest.
Range: Brazil north through tropical America to central Mexico. One stray reported in central Texas.
