Elzunia humboldt
E. h. bomplandii from Colombia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Elzunia
Species:	E. humboldt
Binomial name
Elzunia humboldt (Latreille, 1809)
Synonyms
Heliconius humboldt Latreille, 1809 Tithorea descandollesi Staudinger, 1885 Tithorea humboldtii flavomaculata Staudinger, 1885 Tithorea humboldtii latreillei Staudinger, 1885 Helicona bonplandii Guérin-Méneville, [1844] Tithorea tamasea Hewitson, 1873 Tithorea tamasea f. lugubris Haensch, 1909 Tithorea cassandrina microguttata Röber, 1927 Tithorea cassandrina Srnka, 1885 Tithorea dagua Stichel, 1903 Tithorea bonplandii faba Weymer, 1909 Elzunia humboldtii coxeyi Fox, 1941

Elzunia humboldt is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, subfamily Danainae, tribus Ithomiini.

Description

Elzunia humboldt has a wingspan of about 80–85 millimetres (3.1–3.3 in). This species is quite variable depending on the subspecies. The uppersides of the wings are black, with a series of small white spots on the margins. At the base of the hindwings usually there is a broad yellow band, while in the middle of the forewings usually there are one or more white spots. The undersides of the wings have a similar pattern to the uppersides, but the basic colour is reddish instead of black and the hindwings usually have two series of white spots.

Distribution

This species can be found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

Subspecies

• E. h. humboldt (Colombia)
• E. h. bonplandii (Guérin-Méneville, [1844]) (Colombia)
• E. h. cassandrina Srnka, 1884 (Ecuador)
• E. h. regalis (Stichel, 1903) (Colombia)
• E. h. albomaculata (Haensch, 1903) (Ecuador)
• E. h. joiceyi (Kaye, 1918) (Colombia)
• E. h. atahualpa Fox, 1956 (Peru)
• E. h. judsoni Fox, 1956 (Peru)

Etymology

The butterfly was named to honour the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt.