Lycorea ilione, the clearwing mimic queen is a species of nymphalid butterfly in the subfamily Danainae. The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1775. Subspecies Subspecies include: Lycorea ilione ilione; present in Brazil Lycorea ilione albescens (Distant, 1876); present in Central America Lycorea ilione decolorata (Haensch, 1909); present in Ecuador Lycorea ilione lamira (Latreille, [1817]); present in Colombia Lycorea ilione phenarete (Doubleday, 1847); present in Bolivia and Peru Distribution and habitat This species is present in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. It occurs in the transitional rainforest and cloudforest, at an elevation of above sea level. Description Lycorea ilione can reach a wingspan of about . It is an extremely variable species. These large and strongly marked butterflies show yellow-tipped antennae and black thorax with white dots and gray abdomen. All wings are rounded, with forewings much longer than the hindwings and with concave inner edge. The wings are transparent, bordered with black, with black veins and dark bands dividing the wings into several areas. Some subspecies are brown with brown basal part of the forewings. Biology The larvae mainly feed on Ficus species (F. benjamina, F. carica and F. pumila), but also on Jacaratia hasslerina, Carica papaya and Myoporum lactum. Males feed on Senecio, Eupatorium and Neomiranda flowers from which they obtain alkaloids used for chemical defense, as these toxins cause nausea in birds that prey them. References External links "Inventory of the butterfly species of Sangay National Park - Ecuador". "Species Lycorea ilione". Butterflies of America. Danaini Nymphalidae of South America Butterflies described in 1775 Taxa named by Pieter Cramer