QL 541 J866 ENT The Journal OF Research ON THE LEPIDOPTERA Volume 41 2002 (2009) ISSN 0022 4324 LEPIDOPTERA RESEARCH FOUNDATION The Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera ISSN 0022 4324 PUBLISIIEO BV: The Lepidoptera Research Foundation, Inc. 9620 Heather Road Beverly Hills, California 90210-1757 TEL (310) 274 1052 E-mail: Editorial: [email protected] Btisiness: [email protected] Technical: [email protected] Founder: William Hovanitz (1915-1977) Edeeoriae Seaee: Rudolf H. T. Mattoni, acting editor E-mail: [email protected] Nancy R. Vannucci, managing editor E-mail: [email protected] Associate Edi i ors: The Lepidoptera Research Foundation is in process of reorganization. A board of associate editors will be established. Manuscripts and notices material may at present be sent to the acting editor, Rudolf H. T. Mattoni, e-mail: [email protected]. Please note the instructions to authors on the back inside cover of this Journal. Past journals and other publications, and all matters relative to subscriptions, mailing and billing are being handled by BioQuip Products, Inc. Phone: (310) 667-8800. E-mail: [email protected]. Manacinc; editor at the address: Nancy R. Vannucci, Maza 3340, Moron B1708GOP, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Journal is sent to all members of the Foundation. Grasses oe .membershir: Regular (Individual) $ 25.00 year Gontributing $ 30.00 or more year Subscription Rate/ Institutions $ 35.00 year Life $ 300.00 STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT rilEJOHRNAL OF RESEARGHONTHE LEPIDOPTERA will be published two times a year by the LEPIDOPTERA RESEARGH FOLINDATION, ING. Publication and business offices are located at the Beverly Hills, California address given above. The Foundation is a non-profit organization incorporated in the State of California in 1965. The president is Rudolf H. T. Mattoni, the vice-president is Jeremiah George, the secretary-treasurer is Leona Mattoni. The board of directors (2005-) is comprised of Konrad Fiedler, Dan Rubinoff, Jeremiah George, and Rudolf H. T. Mattoni. Pa.s'e issues are avaieabee .vr our iemroraiu' WEBsri e : www.doylegroup.harvard.edu/~carlo/JRL/jrl.html Journal of Research on the I.epidoptera 41: 1-4, 2002 (2009) The life history of Hypanartia dione dione (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in northeastern Ecuador. Harold F. Greenly and Carina Chicaiza Aguirre Yanayacu Biological Station and Center for Creative Studies, Cosanga, Ecuador c/o Focli 721 y Amazonas, Quito, Ecuador. revm)noss@yahoo. com Abstract. Little hits been publislied on the natural histoiy of the strictly Neotropical nyniphalid genus Hypanartia. We describe, for the first time, the early stages of Hypanartia dione dione bom rearings in eastern Ecuador. Plants from two genera, Cecropia (Cecropiaceae) and Boehmeria (Urticaceae), are used as larval food plants. Larvae construct and inhabit shelters on the food plant leaves which are similar in many respects to those built by some members of the family Hesperiidae. Larval coloration and general morphology are similar to H. d. arcaei from Costa Rica. Keywords: Andes, cloud forest, food plant, larva, pupa, shelter. Introduction 5 km west of the town of Cosanga, Napo Province, eastern Ecuador. We collected larvae from the adjacent Hacienda San Isidro private reserve owned The genus Hypanartia Hiibner 1821 includes 14 by the Bustamante family and along the Huacamayos species of nymphalid butterflies, all with orange, ridge, 5 km to the south. On 6 November 2001, we brown, or reddish ground colors to their angular and collected one first and one second instar along a small tailed wings. They are distributed throughout Central stream in the San Isidro preserve at an elevation of and South America, with the equatorial Andes as their approximately 2050 m. Additionally, we collected center of diversity (Willmott et al, 2001). The natural two egg shells from the bottom surface of the leaf. histoiy of most species is poorly known, with published Subsequently, on 22 November, we collected one larva! descriptions available for only four species fourth instar, nine fifth instars, and two sixth instars (DeVries, 1987; Toledo, 1973; Wolcott, 1924; Young at an elevation of approximately 2300 m along the 1976). From these we know that the genus feeds Huacamayos ridge. We returned all larvae to YBS predominantly on Urticaceae and Ulmaceae, with and reared them inside glass jars !)y providing fresh one record from Cuba of//, paidlus (Fabricius, 1793) leaves every two days. In total, we reared six to feeding on Piper (Piperaceae) (Alayo & Hernandez, eclosion. We made larval length measurements at 1987). the time of premolt or prepupa, when feeding had Hypanartia dione dione {HAireiWe, 1813) (Fig. 1) is stopped. To avoid artifacts of enclosure, we only one of three subspecies and is distributed throughout included observations of shelter Ituilding behavior the Andes on both slopes from Venezuela to Ecuador and construction that were made in the field at the and along the eastern slopes south to Argentina time of collection. We preserved one fifth instar, (Willmott et al, 2001). Apart from photographs one sixth instar, and one pupa in 70% alcohol after in Janzen and Hallwachs (2005), nothing has been dropping them into boiling water as described by published concerning the early stages of this species. DeVries (1987). Subsequently, we reared numerous Here we describe the larva, pupa, larval shelter individuals from three different host plants. All early building behavior, and host associations of H. dione stages and adult vouchers are retained in the first dione from northeastern Ecuador. author’s personal collection. Materials and methods Results We made all collections in the vicinity of the Cecropia litoralis (Cecropiaceae), Boehmeria caudatn, Yanayacu Biological Station and Center for Creative and B. ulmifolia (Urticaceae) are used as larval food plants by Hypanartia d. dione in our area. All instars Studies (YBS, 00°35.949 S, //"SS.dOS, 2100 m), located rested in leaf shelters constructed by the larva. We Received: 6 August 2006 never encountered frass inside shelters, yet larvae did Accepted: 9 November 2006 not forcibly eject frass as described for shelter btiilding /. Res.Lcpid. Figure 1. Adult Hypanartia d. dione puddling at urine enriched soil, Yanayacu Biological Station, Napo, Ecuador, 2100 m. Photo by H. F. Greeney. I lesperiidae (Scoble, 1992; Wei.s.s, 2003). A.s little ha.s Ix'cn written on nyinphalid larval .shelters, discussions and descriptions follow those outlined for hesperiids (dreeney &• Jones, 2003). Egg. (n=2 hatched shells, 0.9 mm wide). Round to slightly elongate with 1 1 strong vertical ridges. Eggs were found singly, on the ventral side of mature Figures 2-4. Early stages of Hypanartia d. dione at the leaves, hoth on small Cecropid sj). saplings in disturhed Yanayacu Biological Station, Napo, Ecuador, 2100 m. Photos by H. F. Greeney. 2. Fifth instar. 3. Pupa. 4. areas. Leaf shelter of final instar. Larva. First instar (n=l, to 3 mm). Head round to roundly square, dark red-hrown with sjjarse dark setae varying in length from minute to short; hody lumps slightly anterior of others, snhdorsal lumps on roughly round in cro.ss section, entirely clear yellow- A8 slightly larger than other ahdominal lumps and orange including prolegs, with darker vi.scera showing similar in size to suhdor.sal lumps on T2 and T3; A9 through along midline after the onset of feeding, true and Alt) with lumps supraspiracularly only, anal plate legs hlack; j)rothoracic shield similar to that de.scrihed for second instar, T1 with long dark forward-projecting unsclerotized and with sparse fringe of short pale setae. setae and with suhspiracular small fleshy lump tipped Second instar (n=l, to 8 mm). Head as descrihed for with several short dark setae; T2 and T3 with small first instar hut shining hlack; hody similar in shape to fleshy lumps suhdorsally, slighly lower tlian those on first iiistar hut now orange-green; protlioracic shield ahdomen, slightly larger fleshy lumps spiraculaiiy and shining hlack, narr ow, dor sal only, Tl setae and fleshy smaller lumps suhspiracularly as descrihed for Tl, all hrrnp as descrihed for fir st instar', several setae arising lum|)s tipped with sparse short dark setae; A1 to A8 from pr'othoracic shield; T2 to Alt) as de.scrihed for with lumps as descrihed for thorax, one snhdorsal, one fir st instar, fleshy lumps r eplaced hy short hlack conical supraspiracnlar, and one suhspiracular, supraspiracular scoh, scoh with short sparse dark setae and tipped 41: 1-4, 2002 (2009) 3 with a single long black seta; A9 with small mid dorsal instars build a second shelter part way through the roughly round scoleritized patch with short dark setae, stadia and remain in this shelter for molting to fourth fringe of setae on anal plate pale orange. Third instar and possibly fifth instar. Sometime late in the fourth (n=2, to 13 mm). Head and body as described for or during the fifth instar, larvae build a third shelter second instars but dorsum of T3 to A7 with irregular and then possibly a fourth. All larvae rest upside down bright white frosting, white markings reducing orange- on the ventral surface of the leaf First shelter (n=2, green color to small spots, all scoli as described for roughly 10 mm by 10 mm). Following Greeney and second instar but slightly longer and setae near apex Jones (2003), first shelters would be termed “two-cut paler, shining black scoleritized patch on mid dorsum unstemmed folds.” Two major cuts are made from of A9 now more distinct, anal plate weakly sclerotized, the leaf margin, beginning roughly 10 mm apart and clear. Fourth instar (n=4, to 18 mm). Head and body approaching each other at the distal ends only slightly. as described for third instar, white dorsal pattern now The cut away section or “lid” is then folded under the extending slighly onto T2 and A8 as stripes on either leaf along a broad “bridge” and sealed tightly with silk side of midline, most of larger setae on body and scoli to the ventral surface of the leaf.