Bug card No. 1532 of 4,939

Elf butterfly

Microtia elva

Eats: Nectar and pollen ButterfliesGardens and meadows6 legs

The elf butterfly is a small butterfly from the southern United States and Central America. It is a bit of a loner in its family tree: it is the only species in its genus. Its caterpillars grow up on plants of the acanthus family.

Lives in

Southern United States, Mexico and Central America

Top speed

about 15 km/h (9.3 mph)

Flying, estimate

Can it hurt you?

Harmless

Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.

What does it eat?

The butterfly drinks nectar from flowers. Its caterpillars eat the leaves of plants from the acanthus family.

Photo of Elf butterfly — Picture by ALAN SCHMIERER. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)

A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)

Elf butterfly about 15 km/h (9.3 mph)

A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)

cool stuff

Fun facts

It is the only species in its genus, so it has no really close cousins.

Its caterpillars feed on a plant called Tetramerium and on other plants of the acanthus family.

There are two kinds of elf: one in Guatemala and Nicaragua, and one in Oaxaca in Mexico.

you asked

Most asked questions about Elf butterfly

?What does the elf butterfly eat?

The butterfly drinks nectar. Its caterpillars eat plants from the acanthus family.

?Where does the elf butterfly live?

In the southern United States, Mexico and Central America.

For bug experts

Scientific name: Microtia elva
Group: Butterflies
Family: Nymphalidae
Classification: Insecta > Lepidoptera > Nymphalidae
Lives on: North America
Also known as: Elf

Where the facts come from

Microtia (butterfly) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
Picture by ALAN SCHMIERER. CC0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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