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Notes on Caligo memnon Felder and Caligo atreus Kollar (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Brassolinae) in Costa Rica and El Salvador

1985; Volume: 24; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5962/p.266781

2156-5457

Tony Young, Alberto Muyshondt,

Insect Pheromone Research and Control

The life cycles and associated natural history for Caligo memnon Felder and Caligo atreus Kollar (Nymphalidae: Brassolinae) were studied in Costa Rica and El Salvador (the latter for C. memnon only).Brief, general descriptions of early stages are given as supplementary data to previously-published information on early stages, especially for C. memnon and much less so for the more elusive C, atreus.Preliminary field data on the relative abundance of both species at banana baits at one Costa Rican locality are also summarized.Both species display a variety of traits compatible with their life style of dwelling close to the ground in tropical forest habitats, including cryptic color patterns and behavior in both adults and caterpillars, and the feeding by adults on fallen fruits.Caligo fero.ales may have to mate more than once to fertilize all of their eggs, and males are attracted to electric lights.Major caterpillar food plant families in Central America are Musaceae and Maranthaceae, and our data suggests some divergence in food plants between these two species.*Two piles of vinegary-smelling, rotten bananas, each approximately 0.5 m diameter and roughly 40 m apart, were placed on the ground in the same places for all censuses.Baits were distributed the day before butterfly observations began, **Data here excludes sightings of other butterflies (e.g., Morpho).Figures in parentheses refer to numbers of individuals seen.