The genus
Methone is
monotypic. The single species is
Methone cecilia is unmistakably characterized by the conspicuous colouring and the deeply indented margin of the hindwing being continued in the female at the ends of the veins into teeth-like small tails. On the forewing the subcostal is four-branched; the branches 1 and 2 rise before, 3 and 4 behind the cell. The hindwing is without a basal vein. The palpi are extremely short. The colouring resembles that of certain
Themone,
Cartea, Monethe,
Aricoris which
imitate butterflies such as
Ithomiinae and
pericopine moths. The females are very stout and clumsy which makes them still more similar to the unwieldy
Actinote. They are quite common but they are local and seem not to leave their birthplace.
List of subspecies •
M. c. cecilia present in
Suriname and
French Guiana •
M. c. chrysomela (Butler, 1872) present in
Costa Rica,
Panama and
Colombia •
M. c. magnarea (Seitz, 1913) present in
Brazil (
Amazonas),
Peru and
Bolivia •
M. c. eurotias (Stichel, 1919) present in
Ecuador •
M. c. caduca (Stichel, 1919) present in
Costa Rica ==References==