Butterflies & Other Insects of the Eastern Caribbean

Tiger Pierid and the Mosaic

• The Tiger Pierid, which is found in the West Indies, is a mimic of the Monarch butterfly. Tiger Pierids are distinguished by black, orange and yellow patterns on the wings of both sexes. Because butterflies with these colors sometimes have an unpleasant taste, predator birds learn to avoid them.

  Mosaic butterflies have dark brown and yellow upper wings. The underside of their wings is zebra-striped. The mosaic caterpillar is black with white spines and feeds on the leaves of the trumpet tree (cecropia peltata). It lives in the tropical rain forests of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola.

Banded King Shoemaker

• The banded king shoemaker butterfly has metallic greenish blue-on-black wings, and a furry, robust body. It makes a sort of crackling sound when it flies. King shoemakers live in the tropical rain forests of Cuba. The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of the custard apple.

Purple Mort Bleu and Others

• The male Purple Mort Bleu has iridescent purple wings edged with black. Females are larger and their wings lack the beautiful purple color of the male. The under wings of both sexes are brown. These butterflies inhabit the tropical forests of Cuba and Jamaica and can be seen in forest clearings at twilight. The caterpillar feeds on bamboo.

  The small lacewing butterfly has black and orange markings that keep potential predators at bay -- because of their taste. The Blue Night butterfly's under wings are exceptionally beautiful, with black zebra stripes on blue and small eyes pots. They live in tropical rain forests in the Eastern Caribbean.

Insects

• The Zorapteran is a termite-looking insect found in Florida and the West Indies; indeed, it can be found in termite colonies. However, the Zorapteran has an antenna with nine segments and doesn't live in a caste system as termites do.

  The St. Andrew's Cotton Bug is a strangely beautiful bug with long antenna and a red, black and yellow body with a St. Andrew's "X" pattern on its back. The cotton bug attacks cotton plants, leaving a red stain on the cotton fibers that renders the cotton unmarketable. The cotton bug can be found in Florida, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Cuba.

  The deer fly can be found in Cuba. The larvae live in wet places with very alkaline soil. Only the females bite, and the bite can be painful.