Fountainea nobilis nobilis (male)
 
The genus Fountainea comprises of 8 species, most of which are widely distributed throughout the neotropical region. The hindwings of most species have short tails, in both sexes, although in the males of ryphea and sosippus these are vestigial or absent.
Fountainea nobilis occurs as 6 subspecies variously distributed from Mexico to Peru. Males of most races are orange-brown on the upperside with only a subtle purple sheen, but the Colombian race pacifica is very beautiful, with an intense pinkish-purple sheen across the entire surface of both wings. The females are equally striking, being orange-brown marked with white or yellow. Fountainea nobilis, the noble leafwing, is a species of Neotropical butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae, Charaxinae subfamily. Fountainea nobilis can be found from Southern Mexico (south-western Chiapas) to Colombia, Venezuela and Peru.