Prepona laertes, the shaded-blue leafwing or Laertes prepona, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in large parts of Central and South America.

The wingspan is about 88 mm. It is a very variable species and a great number of subspecies and forms have been described. Most of these are now considered synonyms.

The larvae feed on Inga vera, Inga ruiziana and Andira inermis.

Subspecies

  • Prepona laertes laertes (Paraguay)
  • Prepona laertes demodice (Godard, [1824]) (French Guiana, Brazil, Surinam, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia)
  • Prepona laertes louisa Butler, 1870 (Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad)
  • Prepona laertes octavia Fruhstorfer, 1905 (Honduras, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Ecuador)

Gallery

  • Male, underside
  • Prepona laertes laertes male
  • Prepona laertes demodice
  • Prepona laertes octavia