Also known as a Blue Banded Purplewing, Tropical Blue Wave, Whitened Blue Wave or Royal Blue.
The underside (ventral side) of the Blue Wave is camouflaged in colors of gray and brown, resembling bark.
It uses fermenting fruit rather than flowers to feed on for nourishment.
The length of it's fore wings reaches about 34 –36 mm (1.3–1.4 in).
The dorsal sides of the upper wings are bright blue with white transverse bands and white spots.
The sapphire blue of the upper wings may appear to be black or neon blue depending on how the light is reflected.
It is found from sea level to 700 m (2,300 ft) on the Atlantic slopes and is associated with rain forest habitats in Central America & northern South America, from Mexico to Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru.
Diet: Larvae are reported as feeding on members of the genus Dalechampia and Adelia.
Diet: adults are not really nectar feeders, preferring to feed on rotting fruits. Males occasionally take minerals from wet sand.
Avg. Wingspan: 34 - 36 mm / 1.3 - 1.4 "
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta, Order: Lepidoptera
* Being Brush-footed butterflies, Blue Waves have a short pair of fore legs that are used to taste food, and two pairs of longer rear legs that are used for propulsion.
The single biggest threat to butterfly survival is habitat destruction!!
