Early stages of Myscelia cyaniris cyaniris (Doubleday) from Panama (Nymphalidae, Nymphalinae)

4 Pages·1999·2.1 MB·English

by  Carla M Penz

GENERAL NOTES
JournaloftheLepidopterists'Society
52(3), 1998.338-341
EARLY STAGES OFMYSCELIA CYANIRIS CYANIRIS (DOUBLEDAY) FROM
PANAMA (NYMPHALIDAE, NYMPHALINAE)
Additional key words: Natural History, Adelia triloba, Euphorbiaceae, Central
America.
The genus Myscelia Doubleday comprises ten species that are distributed from the
Southern United States to Northern Argentina (Jenkins 1984, D'Abrera 1987). In arecent
systematic revision, Jenkins (1984) considered Myscelia closely related to the genus
Catonephele Hiibner, andhe suggested that Myscelia butterflies oviposit on the Euphor-
biaceae, thus sharingthis host plant familywith members ofthe genera Biblis F, Mestra
Hiibner, Hamadryas Hiibner, Dynamine Hiibner, Eunica Hiibner, Catonephele Hiibner
andNessaea Hiibner.ThethreespeciesofMyscelia foundin PanamaandCostaRicashow
a color pattern common to many species in the genus: upperside iridescent blue oxer
white bands on abrown ground colorand acryptic brown underside, with females being
less brightlycoloredthan males (see DeVries 1987).
Myscelia cyaniriscyaniris (Doubleday), has been observedtoovipositon Dalechampia
triphylla and an unidentified canopyvine (both Euphorbiaceae) in Costa Rica (DeVries
1987). Records from PanamaincludeAdelia triloba (Euphorbiaceae), from populations at
Cana, Darien (field notes ofthe late G. Small) and Barro Colorado Island, Panama (A.
Aiello, pers. com.). A pupawas found on Croton bilbergianus (Euphorbiaceae) at Barro
Colorado Island (A. Aiello, pers. com.). As the lifehistory, earlystages andovipositionbe-
havior ofMyscelia butterflies are poorly known (DeVries 1987), I here describe the life
cycle ofM. cyaniris cyaniris, andprovide line drawings ofthe head for each larval instar
and photographs ofthe mature larva andpupa. Material described here originated from
the edge ofsecond growth forest in Soberania National Park, Panama Province, Panama,
andallearlystageswere raisedinplasticcontainers atambienttemperature. Although the
descriptionsreportedherearemoredetailed, myobservationsshowbroadsimilaritytothe
unpublishednotes on materialfield-rearedbyG. Small (lot numberGS-83-51).
Oviposition behaviorandhostplant. On4 November, 1994, I observedafemale lay
eggs on asmall isolatedindividual ofAdelia triloba (ca. 40cm; Euphorbiaceae) atthe edge
ofthe forestunderfull sun, therefore confirming G. B. Small's hostplant record. The but-
terflyexamined theyoungtips ofseveral branches before laving an egg, often leavingthe
plant toperch in the high branches ofneighboringtrees, and later returningto it. Several
eggswerelaidontheplantduringeachovipositionevent,andeacheggwasdepositedsingly
ontheundersideofyoungleavesandbuds. EggsalsowerefoundonalargerspecimenofA.
triloba (ca. 70cm),locatedneartheforestedgeandsurroundedbvshrubbyvegetation. Eggs
werecollectedonthesametwoplantson4—7November, and8 December, 1994.
Egg (n = 9). White; cylindrical, 0.6 mm wide and 0.6 mm tall; 11 vertical ribs; mi-
cropyle surrounded bya marked depression adornedwith conspicuous vertical ribs that
mm
form aserrated"crown" approximately0.2 tall.
Larva (Figures 1 and2). Firstinstar(n = 4, 2-3days). Headbeigewith short,brownish
primary setae; body pale green with very short, dark primary setae; larva rests on a "frass
chain"atthetipoftheleafmidveinwith epicranium appressedtosubstrate. Secondinstar(n
= 3, 2-3 days). Head mottled in brown and creamywhite, adornedwith ubiquitous small
creamy-whitetubercleswhich are slightlymoreprominent in the genal region ofthe epicra-
nium;pairofthick, bluntscoli adornedwith small tubercles, and approximatelytwothirdsof
the headheight; fronswith adark medial line. Bodvgreen with short, white, tubercle-like,
sub-dorsal,lateralandsub-lateralscoli;bodycolordarkergreenanteriorly, fadingtowardpos-
teriorsectionofthebody; ventral sideyellow-green; thoraciclegs brownish, abdominal pro-
legsyellow-green;larvaerestona"frasschain"withepicraniumappressedtosubstrate. Third
instar (n = 3, 2-3 days). Head dark brown with ubiquitous small creamy-white tubercles
which are slightlymore prominentin thegenal region ofthe epicranium; frons black; head
scoliapproximately3.5timeslongerthan headheight,proportionatelymoreslenderthanthe
scoliofthesecondinstar,theshaftofeachscolusisadornedwiththreewhorlsofblackspines:
Volume 52, Number 3 339
Fig. 1. FrontalviewoftheheadcapsulesofMysceliacyaniriscyanirisfrom Soberania
National Park, Panama; toptobottom: firsttofifthinstar.
340 Journalofthe Lepidopterists' Society
FlG. 2. Mature larva of Myscelia cyaniris cijaniris from Soberania National Park,
Panama. FlG. 3. Pupa of Myscelia cyaniris cyaniris from Soberania National Park,
Panama.
asix-branchedwhorl locatedatthe distal tipofthe scolus, afour-branchedwhorl locatedat
twothirds ofthe length ofthe scolus, andafour-branchedwhorl locatedatone thirdofdie
length ofthe scolus, thelatteris followedbyapairofsmallerspines located on theanterior
sidenearthebaseofthescolus;theshaftsofthescoliaredarkproximaltofirstwhorlofspines
andcreamy-whitebetweenwhorls; fourpairs ofpost-genalwhitish spines distributed from
thetopoftheheadtostemmatalregion;singlewhitishspinebeloweachscoluslocatedatmid
distancebetweenbaseofscolusandstemmatalregion. Bodygreenwithshort,white,sub-dor-
sal, lateral and sub-lateral scoli; sub-dorsal scoli adorned with three terminal spinules in a
whorl;sub-dorsalscolionthoracicsegmentT3andabdominalsegmentsATandA8arisefrom
orangetubercles; A7with two mid-dorsalscoli, posteriorscoluslargerthan anterior; A8with
onemid-dorsalscolus;ventralsidetranslucentgreen; legs sameasin secondinstar; larvaeno
longerreston "frass chains", restingon the leafsurfacewith epicranium appressedto sub-
strate. FotirtJi instar (n = 3, 2-3 days). Head same as in third instar, except for the frons,
whichiswhite. Bodysimilartothirdinstar;green spottedwithwhite;colorlightgreenonthe
dorsalsectionofthebody,becomingdarkeronthedorso-lateralandlateralsections;sub-dor-
sal longitudinal rowofwhite spots givingthe appearanceofawhite stripe to the nakedeye;
Volume 52, Number 3 341
thinwhitishsupra-spiracularstripe;ventralsidetranslucentgreen;thoraciclegs andabdomi-
nalpro-legs green; larvae restonleafsurfacewith epicranium appressedto substrate. Fifth
instar(n = 3,4-7days, Figs. 1-2). Headanteriorlyblackwithubiquitoussmallcreamy-white
tubercles; fronscreamy-white;post-genacreamywhite; redmarksbetweenocciputandbase
oftheheadscoli;headscoliapproximately2.5timestheheadheight;theshaftofeachscolus
is adornedwiththreewhorls ofblackspines: asix-branchedwhorllocatedatthe distaltipof
thescolus, afour-branchedwhorllocatedattwothirdsofthelengthofthescolus,andafour-
branchedwhorllocatedatonethirdofthelengthofthescolus,thelatterisfollowedbyapair
ofsmallerspineslocatedontheanteriorsidenearthebaseofthescolus;theshaftsofthescoli
are darkproximal to firstwhorl ofspines and creamy-white betweenwhorls; spines ofthe
proximalandmedialwhorlswithacreamy-whitetransversestripeatmidlength; singlelateral
spine locatednearthebaseofthescoli; fourpairs oflargepost-genalwhitish spines distrib-
utedfromthetopoftheheadtostemmatalregion; singlewhitishspinebeloweachscoluslo-
catedatmiddistancebetweenbase ofscolus andstemmatal region; one smallwhitish spine
inthe stemmatal region, andanotherimmediatelyposteriortoit. Bodygreen spottedwith
white; dorsallygreen, dorso-laterallyyellowish green; sub-dorsal longitudinal rowofwhite
spotsgivingtheappearanceofawhitestripetothenakedeye; darkgreenstripeimmediately
belowrowofwhitespots;yellowishlongitudinalspiracularstripe;T2-A8withsub-dorsalscoli
which areyellowatbase and green distally, terminatingin awhorl ofthree (T2, Al-7), six
(T3), orfour(A8) longspinules stripedinblackandwhite; T2-3withgreenlateralscoliter-
minatinginawhorlofthree spinules; A2-8withgreenlateralscoliadornedwithtwotermi-
nalspinules;Al-8withgreensub-lateralscoliwiththreeterminalspinules;Al-6withgreen
mid-dorsal scoliadornedwithtwoterminal spinules; A7withtwogreen mid-dorsalscoli, an-
terioradornedwithtwoterminal spinules, andposteriorterminatingin awhorloffourspin-
ules;A8withthickgreen mid-dorsal scolusterminatinginawhorl offive spinules; A10with
thickgreenscoliterminatinginawhorloffivespinules andlocatedlaterallytotheanalplate;
ventralsidegreentoblue-green;thoracicandabdominallegsgreentoblue-green;larvaerest
onleafsurfacewithepicraniumappressedtosubstrate.
Pupa (n = 2, 7-8days, Fig. 3). Bodyprojectingforwardtoattainahorizontalposition.
Colorpredominantlygreenwithwhite andbrown markings. Head adornedwith pairof
shortwhite conical ornaments; antennae whitish; legs pale green; thoracic segments Tl
andT2predominantlydarkgreendorsally;T2withapointedkeel;T3 andabdominalseg-
mentAl pale green dorsallyand dark green laterally; A4with lateral dark green rounded
markings terminatingon ayellowish lateral stripe thatruns atthe edge ofwingpad; wing
padpale green, raisedposteriorlyto form a ridge, which is marbledinwhite andbrown;
faint dark green dorsal midline; dorso-lateral andventral regions ofthe abdomenwith a
whitish shadeposteriortowingpad; cremasterbrown.
I thankA. Aiello forprovidingunpublishedrecords (Aiello Lots 83-21 and 78-106); D.
Harveyfor facilitating access to Gordon Small's unpublished notes housed at the Smith-
sonian Institution (lotnumbers GS-83-51 [n = 6; 13 May, 1983], GS-83-55 [n = 2; 16 May,
1983], GS-83-56 [n = 1; 18 May, 1983], GS-83-58 [n = 2;20May, 1983],andGS-83-81 [n =
1; 9June, 1983]); R. Srygleyforphotographingthelarvaandpupa;A.Aiello, P. DeVries, R.
Hannerand D. Jenkins forcommentsonthe manuscript; andP. DeVries forlogistical sup-
port. PermitsforcollectingandexportingspecimenswereissuedbyInReNaRethroughthe
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama. Support forthis researchwas provided
inpartbythe National Science Foundation (DEB98-06779toP. DeVries andC. Penz).
Literature Cited
D'Abrera, B. 1987. Butterflies ofthe neotropical Region, Part IV Nymphalidae. Lans-
downe, Melbourne.
DeVrUineivse,rsPi.tJy.Pr1e9s8s7,.PrTihnecebtuotnt,erNfleiwesJeorfseCyo.st3a27Rippc.a and their natural history. Princeton
JENKINS, D. W. 1984. Neotropical Nymphalidae II. Revision ofMyscelia. Bull. Allyn
Mus. 87:1-64.
Carla M. Penz, Department ofBiology, University ofOregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-
1210, USA