Mesosemia

Mesosemia is a genus in the butterfly family Riodinidae present only in the Neotropical realm.

This genus rather closely approximates the genus Eurybia, though it is by no means so uniform. Also here there is in most of the species almost exactly above the middle of the forewing a large eyespot which often exhibits two or three white pupils, and where it is absent, one mostly finds yet its traces in the shape of a small central shade or minute cloud. The Mesosemia differ from the Eurybia by their smaller heads, the shorter antennae, the borders of the forewings being generally slightly curved, the short abdomen mostly not reaching as far as the anal angle, the longer hindwings being often geniculate (knee like) in the middle of the distal margin, or angularly protended (held out). The row of distal marginal spots of the hindwing is always absent, the hindwings, however, show in the disk more or less parallel transverse stripes. The sexual dimorphism, which is not noticed in Eurybia is here the rule and mostly very much pronounced. The butterflies are often met with on blossoms, still oftener on leaves, but they seem to rest much on their under surface in order to come forth only for a short time for the sake of copulation and feeding. Then they perform jerky movements on the leaves, stretching the antennae straight forward, placing the hindwings flat on the leaf and slightly raising the forewings. In this manner they hasten from one leaf to another, from one branch to another, more jumping than flying, as Fassl expresses himself. The butterflies are partly extremely local and some of them are very rare.