Cloud forest and their butterflies in eastern Andes in Bolivia.

Cloud forests are upper montane rain forest, montane laurel forest, or more localised terms such as the Bolivian Yungas, have transition zones between the high Andes alpine and tropical Amazon flora and fauna. Amazon riwer system in South America has approx. 40% of the world's total forest land, approx. 70% of the world's animal and plant species, some of these reaches into the cloud forests. Once you get over 2400 meters altitude pops up plants which are known from North America and Asia as violets, blackberries and various heathers, grasses and orchids.

Many of the Yungas are degraded areas or tree formations in recovery who have not yet reached its climax vegetation, like the Fayal-Heath of Macaronesian laurisilva. The diversity of plants and animal species falls dramatically when you get over 2400 meters altitude. Cloud Forest appear from Venezuela to northwestern Argentina via Brazil Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru

Introduction: There are 1100 known species of Satyrinae in the neotropical region.
About 570 of these are placed in the subtribe Pronophilina (Reuter, 1896). Wikipedia.

– a diverse group of high altitude cloudforest butterflies, all of which are confined to the neotropical region. The vast majority are found only in the Andes, but 4 species are known from the Atlantic cloudforests of Brazil, and there are a further 6 species that are endemic to Guatemala, Costa Rica or Mexico. More oddly there is one genus Calisto that is found exclusively on the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Hispaniola.

The genus Mygona (Thieme, 1907) comprises of only 5 known species – irmina from Venezuela, and prochyta which is distributed from Ecuador to Bolivia. The type location of prochyta is Bolivia. There are 4 other subspecies, namely poeania from Ecuador; and the Peruvian endemics chyprota, magalyae and thammi.

Habitats: This is a forest species found at altitudes between about 1400-2800m.

Lifecycle: The lifecycle appears to be unrecorded. The following generalisations are applicable to the subtribe Pronophilina and are probably applicable to Pronophila:
The eggs are round, white or pale greenish white, and laid singly on the foodplants or on surrounding vegetation. The larvae are typically pale brown, marked along the back and sides with narrow dark stripes, and tapering towards each end. The head is large in proportion to the body and has two short forward-pointing horns. The tip of the abdomen is equipped with a pair of caudal prongs which are used to flick the frass away from the feeding area.

Foodplant: The larvae of all known Pronophilina feed on Chusquea, Chusquea quila – a genus of bamboo which grows in thickets, mainly along the courses of streams.

Adult behaviour: Males can be found imbibing moisture from narrow tracks within the forest, but will also come out into more open areas occasionally.

Pronophila (E. Doubleday, [1849] ). 16 species,
Pronophila cordillera ssp. cordillera (Westwood, 1851). TL: [Bolivia].
P. c. ssp. variabilis (A. Butler, 1873). TL: Peru M T S.
P. c. ssp. colocasia (Thieme, 1907). TL: Peru M T.
P. c. [n. ssp.] (Pyrcz & Boyer, MS). Peru.

Subfamily Satyrinae. Boisduval, 1833. Wikipedia,

The Satyrinae (Boisduval, 1833), the satyrines or satyrids, commonly known as the browns, are a subfamily of the Brush.footed Butterfles, Nymphalidae (Rafinesque, 1815). 559 genera, 6,152 species.

Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies). They were formerly considered a distinct family,
Satyridae. This group contains nearly half of the known diversity of brush-footed butterflies.
The true number of the Satyrinae (Boisduval, 1833) species is estimated to exceed 2,400.

Tribe Satyrini (Boisduval, 1833). Subtribe Pronophilina
The Satyrini is one of the tribes of the subfamily Satyrinae. It includes about 2200 species and is therefore the largest tribe in the subfamily which comprises 2500 species

Pronophila (E. Doubleday, [1849]).

Pronophila unifasciata unifasciata (Lathy, 1906). TL: Ecuador M T S
Pronophila unifasciata deverra Thieme, 1907 TL: Ecuador
Pronophila unifasciata brennus Thieme, 1907 TL: Colombia M T
Pronophila unifasciata bogotensis Jurriaanse, 1926 TL: Colombia M T S
Pronophila unifasciata australis Hayward, 1949 TL: Argentina M T
Pronophila unifasciata donachui Adams & Bernard, 1977 TL: Colombia M T
Pronophila unifasciata nanegalito Pyrcz, 2000 TL: Ecuador
Pronophila unifasciata deceptoria Pyrcz, 2005 TL: not specified
Pronophila unifasciata eugeni Pyrcz, 2005 TL: Colombia
Pronophila unifasciata kennethi Pyrcz, 2005 TL: Ecuador M S
Pronophila unifasciata antioquiana Pyrcz, 2005 TL: Peru
Pronophila unifasciata [n. ssp.] Pyrcz, MS Bolivia

Pronophila juliani (Adams & Bernard, 1977). iN M T

Pronophila timanthes (Salvin, 1871). Timanthes Satyr. Costa Rica to W Ecuador iN M T OI S L

Pronophila obscura obscura (A. Butler, 1868). TL: Venezuela M T
Pronophila obscura cuchillaensis Viloria & Camacho, 1999 TL: Venezuela

Pronophila epidipnis epidipnis (Thieme, 1907). TL: Venezuela M T
Pronophila epidipnis orchewitsoni Adams & Bernard, 1979 TL: Colombia M T S
Pronophila epidipnis lathyi Pyrcz, 2000 TL: Ecuador
Pronophila epidipnis orcidipnis Pyrcz & Viloria, 2007 ref.285
Pronophila epidipnis perplexa Pyrcz, 2004 TL: Peru
Pronophila epidipnis cana Pyrcz, MS TL: Peru
Pronophila epidipnis [n. ssp.#1] Pyrcz, MS TL: Colombia
Pronophila epidipnis [n. ssp.#2] (Pyrcz, MS) TL: Bolivia

Pronophila tremocrata (Pyrcz, 2004). iN M S.

Pronophila cordillera ssp. cordillera (Westwood, 1851). TL: [Bolivia].
P. c. ssp. variabilis (A. Butler, 1873). TL: Peru M T S.
P. c. ssp. colocasia (Thieme, 1907). TL: Peru M T.
P. c. [n. ssp.] (Pyrcz & Boyer, MS). Peru.

Pronophila orcus orcus (Latreille, [1813]) TL: ["Peru"] M T S
Pronophila orcus locuples Weymer, 1912 TL: Bolivia M S
Pronophila orcus nepete Thieme, 1907 TL: Peru M T

Pronophila thelebe (E. Doubleday, [1849]). iN M T.

Pronophila isobelae isobelae (Pyrcz, 2000). TL: Ecuador
Pronophila isobelae benevola Pyrcz, 2000 TL: Ecuador

Pronophila attali (Pyrcz, 2000). TL: Peru.

Pronophila rosenbergi rosenbergi (Lathy, 1906). TL: Ecuador M T.
Pronophila rosenbergi puyango Pyrcz, 2000 TL: Ecuador

Pronophila bernardi (Pyrcz, 2004), iN.

Pronophila intercidona intercidona (Thieme, 1907). TL: Ecuador M T.
Pronophila intercidona thelebina Thieme, 1907 TL: Bolivia M T
Pronophila intercidona [n. ssp.] Pyrcz & Prieto, MS Colombia

Pronophila margarita (Pyrcz, 2000). TL: Ecuador.

Pronophilina is a Neotropical subtribe of butterflies of the subfamily Satyrinae. They are a species-rich group with highest diversity in the tropical and subtropical mountains, especially the Andes. Before 1970, they were poorly studied, but recent interest has resulted in high rates of species description from previously unexplored mountain ranges. However, there is still a lack of knowledge on their biology and ecology. Their relationship to other groups of Satyrine butterflies and their complex patterns of speciation within and among mountain ranges have led to several biogeographic discussions.
Pronophilina (Reuter, 1896) Wikipedia.

GBIF: Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
World distribution:
Cordillera Satyr, Pronophila cordillera (Westwood, 1851).

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.
Cordillera Satyr, Pronophila cordillera (Westwood, 1851).

Cordillera Satyr, Pronophila cordillera
(Westwood, 1851) opperside and underside.
Camino de Muerte elev. 2600 m. Yungas, Bolivia
d. 3 january 2005.
Photographer: Lars Andersen

Cordillera Satyr, Pronophila cordillera
(Westwood, 1851).
Camino de Muerte elev. 2600 m. Yungas, Bolivia
d. 9 february 2012.
Photographer: Lars Andersen

Pronophila epidipnis [n. ssp.#2]
(Pyrcz, MS) TL: Bolivia.
The old railroad / Kori Wayku inca trail 2000 m., Yungas, Bolivia d. 27 january 2009.
Photographer: Lars Andersen

Pronophila intercidona ssp. thelebina
(Thieme, 1907).
Cascade de Sacramento.Camino de Muerte elev. 2500 m. Yungas, Bolivia d. 3 january 2007.
Photographer: Lars Andersen

GBIF: Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
World distribution:
Mountains Morpho, Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892).

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.
Mountains Morpho, Morpho lympharis ssp. eros (Staudinger, 1892).

Males are usually found wiht small streams they gather in numbers, often several species together. They often sit wedged amongst small semi-submerged rocks and pebbles at the edge of shallow streams, or where small fords cross mountain roads. Females rarely settle on the ground, and are instead encountered in flight on mountain passes, or when feeding at flowers at cloud forest / grassland transition zones. Feedplants: Parasitic mistletoes, Phoradendron species. Caterpillars feed in small groups. Pupae are found in groups on tree trunks and look like bird droppings.

Also a big purplered Leafwing ; Brush Footed Anaea, Polygrapha tyrianthina, another Anaea which is deep blue with sickle-shaped wings and tails; Boisduval's Leafwing, Memphis moruus is also seen in the ravines.

There are a few Metal Wings, Riodinidae as; Sylphina Angel, Chorinea sylphina and Angularis Metalmark, Emesis angularis and various small skippers and some dark ringlet.

From the Cumbre pass 4672 m up in the snow, you drive 63.9 km along the world's most dangerous road (estrada da morte) past the Cascades de Sacremento Alto 2340 m. to Yolosa at 1075 m altitude in a tropical climate.
In 2006, the new road opened, so the section between Es Cotapata and Yolosa along the old Death Road is today used by tourism for mtb driving.