Pink-spotted Cattleheart Butterfly Parides photinus

The Pink-spotted Cattleheart Butterfly, also called the Red-spotted Cattleheart, is found from Mexico to Costa Rica. It looks a little similar to the female Pale-spotted and Pink-spotted Swallowtails, Papilio erostratus/rogeri, but the hind wing crescents do not reach the wing edge and the spots are darker red.

There is a row of red spots from the head, along the thorax and continuing along the abdomen. Male and female are of similar appearance and both can have a blue iridescence on the hind wings, stronger on the male. It is part of the Cattleheart family (Parides), which in turn is part of the Swallowtail family but not the Papilio genus, even though it has small tails. The Red-spotted Swallowtail name is sometimes used to refer to the Ruby-spotted Swallowtail, which is another Papilio species but in fact looks like the (Pink/Arcas) Cattleheart family.