Eryphanis automedon

Eryphanis automedon, the Automedon giant owl, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae.

Description
Eryphanis automedon has a wingspan reaching about 55 - 60 mm. In males the dorsal sides of the wings show night blue iridescent patches, extending from submedial to postmedial areas, with well defined borders separating the non-iridescent sections. Ventral sides vary from faded brown to caramel color, with various eyespots. The female wingspan is slightly larger, with a slightly different wing color pattern.

This butterfly can live up to six weeks and flies in the dark forests of Latin America. It is a fast flying butterfly. The caterpillars are cryptically colored and feed at night on Poaceae host plants (mainly bamboo leaves), of which the elongated chrysalis mimics the appearance of a dried leaf.

Distribution
This butterfly is native to South America. It is present from Venezuela to the Guianas and Brazil and from Colombia to Paraguay, at an elevation of 0 - 1000 m above sea level.

Subspecies
The following subspecies are recognized:
 * Eryphanis automedon automedon (Suriname)
 * Eryphanis automedon lycomedon (C. & R. Felder, 1862) (Guatemala and Costa Rica to Colombia)
 * Eryphanis automedon amphimedon (C. & R. Felder, 1867) (Brazil)
 * Eryphanis automedon tristis Staudinger, 1887 (Peru)
 * Eryphanis automedon novicia Stichel, 1904 (Ecuador)
 * Eryphanis automedon cheiremon Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Bolivia)
 * Eryphanis automedon spintharus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Colombia)