238 
Psyche 
[June-September 
the patterns in which the colors are arranged are very different in the 
two species. Less convincing is Emmel’s (1972) suggestion that A. 
fatima mimics other, striped, Heliconius species. A. fatima resem¬ 
bles far more closely various Adelpha, Doxocopa, and other pre¬ 
sumably palatable nymphalines. 
The wing-bands of A. fatima are visible from both above and 
below, like those of a great many other banded butterflies (e.g., 
Graphium kirbyi, Cyrestis acilia, Limenitis arthemis, etc.). Such 
“disruptive” patterns presumably protect their bearers from preda¬ 
tors (Platt and Brower, 1968), but the only evidence available to 
date does not support this hypothesis (Silberglied, et al., 1980). The 
wings of Anartia are brittle and easily fractured; mutilated individu¬ 
als bearing evidence of unsuccessful attacks by predators, are com¬ 
mon (e.g., Longstaff, 1912; see Silberglied et al., 1980). 
The wing color patterns of Anartia spp. also play important intra- 
and interspecific communicatory roles between butterflies. These 
are discussed below under “courtship and mating.” 
Flight and daily activity 
A. amathea and A. fatima have a jaunty, somewhat erratic flight 
that enables them to move about beneath the foliage of low herba¬ 
ceous vegetation when seeking eclosing females (males) or oviposi- 
tion sites (females). However, much of their time is spent in more 
open spaces as they feed at flowers, bask, chase other butterflies, etc. 
A. jatrophae has a strikingly different flight, in which long glides are 
interrupted by abrupt, mid-air pauses (“. . . spasmodic . . . alternate 
‘start’ and ‘glide,’” Walker in Brown and Heineman, 1972). Since 
less time is spent beating the wings, this type of flight requires less 
energy per unit distance travelled, than that of A. amathea and A. 
fatima; it may enable individuals to fly considerably greater distan¬ 
ces. When alarmed, A. jatrophae seems to use an ascending escape 
maneuver more often than A. amathea or A. fatima. 
Anartia species are active under sunny conditions, and during 
light rain. They avoid the dark interior of the forest, and rarely fly in 
strong winds (Young, 1979). Emmel (1972) plotted morning court¬ 
ship activity curves for yellow- (young) and white-banded (older) 
male A. fatima, and Young (1972) reported daily oviposition activ¬ 
ity of A. fatima to be between 10:00 and 13:00 hours. 
