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The immature stages (eggs, larvae and pupae), larval behavior, oviposition and host plant of Mechanitis lysimnia nesaea Hübner, [1820] are described for the first time. Eggs are laid in clusters on the upper side of leaves of its solanaceous hostplants. The larvae are gregarious and undergo five instars. The first instar head capsule is black and the body is translucent yellow. From the second instar on, the body changes to bluish gray with yellow stripes, with colors becoming more vivid in the last instar. Initially, the pupa is yellow, turning reflective (silvery/golden) with dark contours on the wing cases and abdomen after the first day. A comparison with other species of Mechanitis shows that, despite their similarities, the early stages are informative at the species level, and could help to understand the species limits in the currently non-monophyletic species in this genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study dealing with nymphalid butterflies obtain their nutrients from fermented fruits or plant saps and understanding of multiple ecological processes and also presents photographs related to Catonephele numilia, and Diaethria candrena.

Butterflies are one of the best‐known insect groups, and they have been the subject of numerous studies in ecology and evolution, especially in the tropics. Much attention has been given to the fruit‐feeding butterfly guild in biodiversity conservation studies, due to the relative ease with which taxa may be identified and specimens sampled using bait traps. However, there remain many uncertainties about the macroecological and biogeographical patterns of butterflies in tropical ecosystems. In the present study, we gathered information about fruit‐feeding butterfly species in local communities from the Atlantic Forests of South America. The ATLANTIC BUTTERFLIES data set, which is part of ATLANTIC SERIES data papers, results from a compilation of 145 unpublished inventories and 64 other references, including articles, theses, and book chapters published from 1949 to 2018. In total, the data set contains 7,062 records (presence) of 279 species of fruit‐feeding butterflies identified with taxonomic certainty, from 122 study locations. The Satyrini is the tribe with highest number of species (45%) and records (30%), followed by Brassolini, with 13% of species and 12.5% of records. The 10 most common species correspond to 14.2% of all records. This data set represents a major effort to compile inventories of fruit‐feeding butterfly communities, filling a knowledge gap about the diversity and distribution of these butterflies in the Atlantic Forest. We hope that the present data set can provide guidelines for future studies and planning of new inventories of fruit‐feeding butterflies in this biome. The information presented here also has potential use in studies across a great variety of spatial scales, from local and landscape levels to macroecological research and biogeographical research. We expect that such studies be very important for the better implementation of conservation initiatives, and for understanding the multiple ecological processes that involve fruit‐feeding butterflies as biological indicators. No copyright restrictions apply to the use of this data set. Please cite this Data paper when using the current data in publications or teaching events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]