About Consul fabius (Cramer, 1779)
This butterfly species, Consul fabius, has forewings that reach a length of 30–40 millimetres (1.2–1.6 in). The upper surfaces of its wings have a bright orange and black pattern, with two yellow bands crossing the angular forewings. Its hindwings are tailed. Consul fabius is part of a mimicry ring, and the camouflaged lower surfaces of its wings mimic a dead leaf. Females lay eggs on the leaves of multiple Piperaceae species, including Piper tuberculatum, Piper auritum, and Piper umbellatum, and the caterpillars feed on these leaves. The caterpillars are dark green with reddish spots along the back, while the chrysalises are pale green. Consul fabius is distributed from Mexico to the Amazon basin, and can be found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, and Venezuela. This species lives in deciduous forest, rainforest, and cloud forest. It usually prefers forest canopy, river banks, and forest edges, at elevations ranging from sea level to around 1200 m.
