Atala Butterfly

Atala Butterflies (Eumaeus atala) are small (up to about 1¾ inches). Coontie is their only host plant. Commercial harvest of coontie in the late 1800s drastically reduced the Atala’s numbers and later loss of habitat to urbanization almost did them in. They were considered extinct from the mid-1960s until rediscovered on Key Biscayne by South Florida naturalist Roger Hammer in 1979.

Atala butterflies breed throughout the year. They lay clusters of up to 50 eggs. The eggs last 4 - 5 days. Larval stages take about 18 days. During that time they go through up to five instars (all of which look the same), althought they can pupate after the third instar if times are hard. The larvae regroup to pupate. The pupa lasts ten days. Unlike the monarch butterfly^webpage, Atalas emerge from the top of their chryslis. The adult lives another three weeks, but under ideal conditions, some have lasted almost three months.

rev: 7/2019

For more information, check out the following blog post: Answers To Your Butterfly Questions: On The Range Of Atala Butterflies.
For more information on the life cycle of other Florida butterflies, check out any of the links of our butterfly collection.

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