Notes on the Life Cycle and Natural History of Butterflies of El Salvador. VII.Archaeoprepona Demophon
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VOLUME 30, NUMBER 1 23 NOTES ON THE LIFE CYCLE AND NATURAL HISTORY OF BUTTERFLIES OF EL SALVADOR. VII. ARCHAEOPREPONA DEMOPHON CENTRALlS (NYMPHALIDAE) ALBERTO M UYSHONDT 101 Avenida Norte #322, San Salvador, El Salvador During August 1971, one of my sons found a strange-looking larva on a very small unknown shrub in a ravine near the city of San Salvador. The larva unfortunately died before pupating due to the lack of food. We could not identify the shrub because it was not in flower, and our efforts to substitute other similar plants for food were unsuccessful. Two years later, we found a female Archaeoprepona demophon centralis Fruhstor fer (Charaxinae) ovipositing on a larger flowering shrub and were able to rear the species to adult. The larvae were the same as the single specimen collected in 1971. Since that time we have reared the species several times. The rearing was done inside transparent plastic bags. The larvae were kept supplied with fresh leaves of the foodplant. The plastic bags were cleaned daily of excess moisture and excreta. Shortly before pupation, the larvae were transferred to a wooden box with mosquito-net windows. The adults emerged in the same box. Measurements of the different instars were recorded, and photographs were taken of all developmental stages. Some specimens of the early stages and exuvia were preserved in alcohol. These will be sent to the American Museum of Natural History, New York. The adults were determined by Dr. A. H. B. Rydon, the foodplant by Dr. D. Burch, University of South Florida. LIFE CYCLE Egg (Figs. 1, 2). White, spherical but for slightly flattened base, smooth, no visible sculpturing at 15X magnification, 2.5 mm diameter. When ready to hatch in 6 days, head and body marks visible through eggshell. First instar larva (Fig. 4). General color pale brown. Head roundish, naked, with a dark brown M mark on front. Naked body thickens from head to 2nd abdominal segment, then narrows caudad, terminates in two short tails. Promi nence on dorsal meson of 3rd thoracic segment, another subdorsally on each side of 2nd abdominal segment directly above corresponding spiraculum. Thoracic segments with fine, dark brown lines. Abdominal segments darker brown dorsally. Anal prolegs smaller than others. Thoracic spiraculum larger than abdominals. Second abdominal spiraculum very high, completely out of line from others, except that 8th abdominal spiraculum also slightly higher. Grows from 4-10 mm in 13 days. Second instar larva (Fig. 5). Head with same aspect as in first instar except for one short horn on each epicranial apex. Body also as in first instar except dorsal hump more noticeable and tails longer and straight. Grows to 14 mm in 8 days. 24 JOURNAL OF THE LEPIDOPTERISTS' SOCIETY Figs. 1-6. Archaeoprepona demophon centralis. 1, Egg showing characteristic M on larval head, width about 2.5 mm; 2, egg showing dorsal markings of the larval body; 3, egg parasitied by larvae of an unknown Chalcididae; 4, first ins tar larva, about 6 mm long, on resting perch; 5, second instar larva, about 14 mm long, baring a vein; 6, third instar larva, about 27 mm long. Third instar larva (Fig. 6). Same general colors as earlier. Head with longer horns; appearance of small, blunt, lateral projections below and behind horns. Mesal projection on 3rd thoracic segment and subdorsal ones on 2nd abdominal segment very pronounced. Dark brown line separating dorsal darker area from paler sub spiracular area which is criss-crossed by faint brown lines as is the thoracic zone. Caudal projections longer, still straight. Grows to 30 mm in 8 days. Fourth instar larva (Fig. 7). Head and horns covered by small tubercles, pro ducing a coarse aspect; lateral projections more noticeable. Body color darker, mostly over supraspiracular and dorsal areas, darker slanting lines. Appearance of tiny, bright blue spots along spiracular zone, around mesal prominence on 3rd thoracic segment and on longer, slightly crooked tails. Grows to 48 mm in 13 days. Fifth instar larva (Figs. 8, 9). Head and horns much rougher, lateral projections quite noticeable. Body color brown on thoracic segments and snbspiracularly on VOLUME 30, NUMBER 1 25 Figs. 7-11. Archaeoprepona demophon centralis. 7, Fourth ins tar larva crawling, about 45 mm long; 8, fifth instar larva recently moulted, about 50 mm long; 9 detail of head of fifth instal' larva; 10, prepupa in typical resting position, about 72 mm long; 11, prepupa ready to pupate, notice placement of tails. abdominal segments. Dark brown triangle dorsally covering area limited by 3 very prominent projections on 3rd thoracic and 2nd abdominal segments. Dorsa of remaining segments from spiracular line to meson, paler brown with darker brown slanting bands. Tails dark brown with yellow spots, very long and crooked. Profusion of tiny, bright blue spots on tails, along spiracular line and around thoracic prominence. Prolegs very thick. Grows to 70-80 mm in 18 days. Prepupa (Figs. 10, 11). Drastic color change. Head and body green, darker on head, thoracic prominence and along spiracular line from 6th-9th abdominal seg ments. Blue spots still visible. Pupa (Figs. 12-14). Bluish-green with scattered whitish, irregular spots; head bifid with points yellowish. Spiracula light brown surrounded by white ovals. Prior to adult emergence becomes very dark gray, some adult colors visible through cuticle. Lateral view: ventral profile only slightly convex; dorsal profile widens gradually from green cremaster to 5th abdominal segment, then the 4th forms a distinct hump, then narorws gradually to bifid head. Dorsal and ventral aspect: lateral profile widens smoothly from cremaster to wingcases, at thoracic level, then 26 JOURNAL OF THE LEPIDOPTERISTS' SOCIETY Figs. 12-18. Archaeoprepona demophon centralis. 12, Pupa, ventral aspect, about 42 mm long; 13, pupa, lateral aspect; 14, pupa, dorsal aspect; 15-18, sequence show ing emergence of adult male. narrows abruptly to head. Measurements: 42 mm long, 18 mm laterally, and 20 mm dorso-ventrally at widest points. Adult (Figs. 19-22). Males and females shaped similarly. Forewing with faintly convex costal margin forming a rounded apex, concave outer margin to rounded tomus, straight inner margin. Hindwing with convex costal margin, strong humeral lobe, rounded outer angle continuing with rounded outer margin to VOLm-IE 30, NUMBER 1 27 Figs. 19-22. Archaeoprepona demophon centralis. 19, Adult male, dorsal view, wingspan about 82 mm; 20, adult female, dorsal view, wingspan about 103 mm; 21, adult male, ventral view; 22, adult female, ventral view. rounded anal angle, rounded inner margin with a fold. Dorsal ground color of forewing dull black in males, dark brown in females, with a greenish-blue iridescent isosceles triangle from median arca of wing with base on mid-inner margin; 2 small subapical, bluish spots. Hindwing with small basal, black triangle and broad, greenish-blue iridescent band from mid-costal margin ending in a point near inner margin, close to anal angle; this band with definite pale blue tinge along basal border. Inner fold and thin border along cestal margin, pale gray. Males with black brush of hairs near base of hindwing. Ventrally, dominant color pale brown with complicated pattern of darker brown areas and thin black lines; along outer margin of hindwing a row of small "eyes" with light blue pupils. Antennae and eyes black, proboscis orange. Dorsal and ventral surfaces of body concolorous with corresponding wing surfaces. Wing span 80 mm in males, up to 105 mm in females. Total developmental time for this species 85 days. NATURAL HISTORY The females of Archaeoprepona demophon centralis deposit their eggs singly on the lower surfaces of the mature leaves of a shrub determined by Dr. D. Burch to be at least very close to Malpighia glabra L. (Mal pighiaceae). The pure white egg is quite visible against the dark green leaf. 28 JOURNAL OF THE LEPIDOPTERISTS' SOCIETY The newly hatched larva completely consumes the eggshell, leaving only the shiny base on the leaf, and stays for one day without further feeding. It then moves to the tip of the leaf and nibbles around the central vein, baring it and affixing to it small, frass pellets woven with silk until the vein is prolonged beyond the leaf limits. Pieces of leaf tissue hung from short lengths of silk are added to the resultant perch. This is used as a resting perch during the day where the small larva is very inconspicuous among the dried bits of leaf. It is abandoned by the larva only momentarily to feed at dawn or dusk. First, second and third instar larvae use a perch. If the leaf is consumed during this period, another perch is made on a second leaf, and in some cases, a third. From the fourth through fifth instars, the larva wanders about the plant, but usually stays motionless during the day resting on a twig, head and tail hanging at the sides, giving the dorsal anterior part of the body a rep tilian appearance (i.e., head of small snake or lizard) with the promi nences on the second abdominal segment resembling the eyes and the mesal prominence on the third thoracic segment, the snout. The effect is enhanced by the crawl of the larva which imitates an inquhing snake head. The mesal prominence on the third thoracic segment is retractile; when touched it almost disappears. The prepupal larva becomes green and very inconspicuous, blending with the green foliage. At this time, the larva wanders for two days searching for a suitable pupation site which may be on the same food plant. Once the site has been chosen, usually a twig, the larva weaves a silk pad girdling the twig, reinforcing the twig's attachment to the shrub.