Description: A large butterfly showing a large orange patch on the forewing if seen from above.
Wingspan 100-146mm.
Habitats and behaviors; it is widespread in thick woods where it often flies high at tree-top level patrolling paths and ridges. Males often settle high up with head down readily chasing off intruders. Also seen in cultivated areas along roads and bridges over riwerstreams.
Nectar Plants: Feeds on rotten fruit and is not known to nectar at flowers.
Larval Foodplants: Eggs are laid singly on the leaf tips or underside of a leaf of
Trumpet Tree, Cecropia peltata (Urticaceae).
Range: From southern USA to Andes eastern slopes, Amazonas and south to northern Argentina and the Greater Antilles.

Introduction: This large and magnificent butterfly, marked on the upper surface with a broad swathe of bright orange on a black ground colour.
Wingspan: This large butterflies with a wingspan 11cms.

The vernacular name Stinky Leafwing, and the species name odius are probably references to the odorous rotting fruits to which the butterfly is attracted.

Family: Nymphalidae are one of 12 species in the tribe Coeini, which also includes Baeotus, Colobura, Tigridia, Pycina and Smyrna.

Habitats: This species occurs in a wide variety of forested habitats, from the humid deciduous woodlands of Nicaragua and Guanacaste, to the rainforests of the Amazon basin and the premontane cloudforests of the Andes. It occurs at altitudes between sea level and about 1600m.

Adult behaviour: This species is usually encountered singly. It is a swift and very powerful flyer, which swoops down from it’s perches high in Cecropia trees to feed at fermenting mangos, plantains and other fruits lying on the forest floor. Both sexes visit fruit, and can be easily baited with fermenting plantain pasted onto tree trunks in open glades, orchards and forest edge habitats.

Males are also attracted to damp rocky overhangs, peccary wallows and rock strewn riverbanks, where they imbibe moisture to extract dissolved minerals.

When settled the wings are held erect, but are flicked open periodically if the butterfly is nervous. The sudden display of the bright orange bands on the upperside probably serves as a warning to predators – orange colouration in butterflies is often an indicator of toxic qualities.

Foodplants and egg:
The egg is pale brown, and laid is singly on the midrib of a leaf of Cecropia (Moraceae), a very common tree in disturbed habitats.

larva: When small the larva constructs a chain of droppings along the midrib. The larva rests at the end of this frass-chain, which extends beyond the tip of a leaf. The chain seems to act as a tight-rope over which ants will not walk, and thus prevents the larva from being molested. It probably also deters parasitoid wasps and flies, making it difficult to oviposit on the larva. The fully grown larva is brown with yellow bands around the segments, which are adorned with yellowish whorled spines. Another pair of short whorled spines emerges from the head.

Chrysalis: The chrysalis is pinkish, and adorned with whorled spines in the abdominal segments, and bears a pair of horns on the head which are recurved and appressed to the thorax. It wriggles frantically if molested.

Distribution: Historis odius is a common and very widely distributed species, found from Texas, Caribbean isl., to Central America, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guyane, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and northern Argentina.

Historis (Hübner, 1819). Butterfliesofamerica.com
Historis odius (Fabricius, 1775). Orion Cecropian.
These three subspecies belong to the species Historis odius:
Historis odius odius (Fabricius, 1775). Greater Antilles.
Historis odius caloucaera (Brévignon, 2003). Windward and Leeward Islands.
Historis odius dious (Lamas, 1995). Continental; S TX (as stray), E & W Mexico to Argentina.

Historis acheronta (Fabricius, 1775). Tailed Cecropian.
These three subspecies belong to the species Historis acheronta:
Historis acheronta acheronta (Fabricius, 1775). Continental; S TX & AZ (as stray), E & W Mexico to Brazil.
Historis acheronta cadmus (Cramer, 1775) Jamaica.
Historis acheronta semele (M. Bates, 1939). Cuba and Hispaniola.

Similar species: There are only 2 species in the genus Historis,
Tailed Cecropian, Historis acheronta (Fabricius, 1775). The other – acheronta, is a smaller greyish species which has a group of white subapical spots on each forewing, and short tails on the hindwings.

Other name: Orion Cecropian or Stinky Leafwing. Espanol: La mariposa lumbrera.

Learn Butterflies
Stinky Leafwing, Historis odius (Fabricius, 1775).

GBIF: Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
World distribution:
Orion Cecropian or Stinky Leafwing, Historis odius (Fabricius, 1775).

GBIF: Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
World distribution:
Tailed Cecropian, Historis acheronta (Fabricius, 1775).

íNaturalist.org
began as the Master's final project of Nate Agrin, Jessica Kline,
and Ken-ichi Ueda at UC Berkeley's School of Information in 2008.
Orion Cecropian or Stinky Leafwing, Historis odius (Fabricius, 1775).