Greta Oto , the Glass Winged Butterfly
The Greta Oto or the glass-winged butterfly is a butterfly that has attractive transparent wings with an opaque lining along the edges . It is mainly been found in Mexico and along the panama Islands . A fully developed adult can easily be seen in the groups when time comes for migration . They have been known to migrate for long distances as compared to other species of butterflies . When the glass winged butterfly lays eggs , the caterpillar that later develops from the larva is considered to be toxic . In fact , even a fully grown butterfly is considered to be toxic .
The Body
The wings of a glass winged butterfly have been estimated to be between 56milimeters to 61 millimeters . The body of this amazing butterfly is also something intriguing enough to capture even the attention of the busiest individual . First , it has those elegant translucent wings with edges ranging in color from brown to red or generally opaque . But the body is completely dark in color . The feature of having colorless wings seems to have been so distinctive that its Spanish name is Espijitos ( also known as Greta Oto ) which , when translated , in English literally means little mirrors .
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Habitat
A migratory butterfly , Greta oto is found in virtually all habitats in Costa Rica , including disturbed ones . It is often spotted passing through open areas , and sometimes visits gardens in the Meseta Central region .
Range
This butterfly is found in Costa Rica on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the country , from 500 to 1,600 m . This glasswing ranges from Mexico to Panama .
National Parks
Guanacaste National Park , Rincón de la Vieja National Park , Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve , Palo Verde National Park , Carara National Park , Poás Volcano National Park , La Selva Reserve and Biological Station , Juan Castro Blanco National Park , Irazú Volcano National Park , Chirripó National Park , and La Amistad International Park .
Physical Description
The glasswing is so named because of its gloriously transparent wings . A brown to reddish-brown border helps make Greta oto ’ s wings more visible . The upper part of the forewing also has a white stripe through the brown region . Glasswings lack the tiny scales on most of their wings that give other butterflies and moths their colors , so the wings are , literally , see-through . It is very hard for the eye to follow as the butterfly dodges between understory plants among patches of light and shadow .
These are hard to spot even when the caterpillars are undergoing metamorphosis : they transform into small pupae with a chrome-silver color that masks them as , perhaps , water glistening in droplets on stems . These pupae look like small mirrors , which is why they are called espejitos in Costa Rica . Adults have scaly antennae and an elegantly thin , brown body powering the delicate , clear wings ( the veins in their wings are visible ). Males have an additional feature to their wings : on the hind wing is a
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