Cyrestis is a butterfly genus in the family Nymphalidae. They are known as map butterflies, so named because the wing-markings of some species resemble the lines of latitude and longitude of a world map. Cyrestis is a widespread genus ranging from Africa to parts of the Indomalayan realm and parts of the Australasian realm (New Guinea).
Description The following characteristics apply to all the species of Cyrestis. They are very delicate and strikingly coloured with exceedingly tender and thin, but unusually large wings whose surface is out of all proportion with the slightly-built, slender and delicate body. The eyes are large, prominent and naked; palpi long, pointed, beak-like, slightly curved upwards, resembling those of the genus Libythea. The principal and most striking markings found on both wings in all the species consist in finer or coarser blackish bands running parallel to the body and at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the wings; of these bands always three unite on each wing to form a broader submarginal fascia. In the white-coloured species these bands or streaks are so fine that, in combination with the frequently black veins, they remind one of the meridian lines on a map, which has given rise in British India and the Straits to the popular and expressive name “the Map”. Seitz, A. 1912–1927. Die Indo-Australien Tagfalter. The Macrolepidoptera of the World 9: 1–766;pdf 767–1201,pdf pls 1–175.pdf
Species Cyrestis achates Butler, 1865 Cyrestis acilia (Godart, ) Cyrestis andamanensis Staudinger Cyrestis adaemon Godman & Salvin, 1879 Cyrestis camillus (Fabricius, 1781) Cyrestis cassander C. & R. Felder, 1863 Cyrestis cocles (Fabricius, 1787) Cyrestis heracles Staudinger, 1896 Cyrestis irmae Forbes, 1885 Cyrestis kudrati Jumalon, 1975 Cyrestis lutea (Zinken, 1831) Cyrestis maenalis Erichson, 1834 Cyrestis nais Wallace, 1869 Cyrestis nivea (Zinken, 1831) Cyrestis paulinus C. & R. Felder, 1860 Cyrestis tabula de Nicéville, 1883 Cyrestis telamon (Linnaeus, 1758) Cyrestis themire Honrath, Cyrestis theresae de Nicéville, 1894 Cyrestis thyodamas Boisduval, 1846 Cyrestis thyonneus (Cramer, )
References
External links
images representing Cyrestis at Consortium for the Barcode of Life