Greta Oto Glass-winged Butterfly at Juréia-Itatins Ecological Station State of São Paulo Brazil 2011 photo by Ithaka Darin Pappas 01

Description:

Greta Oto (or the glass-winged butterfly) at Juréia-Itatins Ecological Station located in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Photograph by Ithaka Darin Pappas. The Glass-winged butterfly (Greta oto) is a member of the subfamily Danainae. The wings are transparent, with a span of 5.6 to 6.1 cm (2.2 to 2.4 in). The tissue between the veins of its wings looks like glass, as it lacks the colored scales found in other butterflies.The opaque borders of its wings are dark brown, sometimes tinted with red or orange, and its body is dark in color. Adult glass-wing butterflies are found mostly from Central to South America as far south as Chile. They can migrate great distances and have been documented as far north as Mexico and Texas. An individual may travel as far as 12 km in a single day while it is migrating.