Several hundred are laid by a single female within the span of a few days, with only a small percentage of the eggs surviving to adulthood.

Although Anartia fatima has been recorded once as far north as Kansas, its range generally begins in southern Texas and continues south through Mexico and all of Central America and Panama.

In South America, A. fatima is no longer found and a closely related species, Anartia amathea, becomes prevalent.

The banded peacock exists in extensive tracts of forest in small populations along the banks of rivers.

The males fly in a slow zig-zag pattern between 0.3 and 0.6 meters above ground to patrol the area around their territory and seek females.

Females have been observed to oviposit on the leaf surfaces of low-growing Hydrocotyle and Spermacoce assurgens growing near small patches of Blechum.

These butterflies exhibit roosting behavior on the undersides of leaves in late evening, perching upside-down with wings closed.

[1] The adults wings are dark brown above, with four or five red spots of varying sizes located on the basal portion of the hindwing.

[2][3] Banded peacock butterflies have a relatively short lifespan and make flights north to South Texas at all times of the year.

In Costa Rica, with the coming of the dry season, this species may migrate southeasterly along the Pacific coast from Guanacaste to Monteverde.

[5][6] Within the family Lepidoptera, the banded peacock is one of the most palatable species to predators and is often used as a control food item in experiments studying warning coloration and mimicry.

If the female is a virgin, she will close her wings over her thorax and expose her abdomen in preparation for a lateral approach by the male.

The male will then position his abdomen for copulation by curving it around his head and then walk up to the female in parallel orientation to initiate coupling.

As a result, the banded peacock is in direct competition with this species, and it is a relationship in which the butterfly can only evade and cannot fight back to continue foraging in the area.