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Volume 26, Number 3
133
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE LEPIDOPTERA OF BROMELIADS
Carlos R. Beutelspacher Institute de Biologia, Apdo. Postal 70-233, Mexico 20; D.F. Mexico
The bromeliads are mostly tropical plants, with leaves generally arranged in rosettes which permit the accumulation of water and detritus; these form a microhabitat suitable for many organisms, principally insects, whose different interrelations constitute special ecosystems of great biological interest (Picado, 1913; Smith, 1938).
Compared to other groups of insects inhabiting these plants, Lepidop-tera are scarce. Thus, in his masterly work "Les Bromeliacees epiphytes considerees comme milieu biologique," Picado (1913) reports only two species: Valentinia bromelia Walsing. (Blastobasidae) from Cordoba, Veracruz, Mexico, and Acrolophus pallidas Moschler (Acrolophidae) from Costa Rica. He reports the larvae as living among the leaves of Aechmea and other large bromeliads. Biezanko (1961) reports four moths from bromeliads in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: Castnia acraeoides Gray, C. boisduvali Walker, C. garbei Fortterle and C. satrapes catharina Preiss, collected in Tillandsia aeranthos (Loisel) L. B. Smith, Bromelia anti-acantha Bertol and Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.
In Mexico I have collected the following species in bromeliads—arrangement according to Hoffmann's Catalogue (1940):
Melinaea imitata Bates (Danaidae). A chrysalis was found in a leaf of Aechmea bracteata (Swartz) Griseb (Fig. 1.), at the Tropical Biological Station "Los Tuxtlas," near Sontecomapan, Veracruz. This species we consider only occasional, since larvae have not been found feeding on this plant, although all known Ithomiidae feed on Solanaceae as larvae.
Napaea eucharilla picina Stichel (Riodinidae) (Figs. 7-8). Caterpillars were found eating the leaves of Aechmea bracteata (Swartz) Griseb, and Aechmea nudicaulis var. nudicaulis L. B. Smith, collected at the "Los Tuxtlas" Station.
Caria domitianus ino Godm. & Salv. (Riodinidae). Larvae eating the leaves of Tillandsia caput-medusae E. Morren, collected at San Francisco Acuitlapan, Guerrero; they hatched on 14 June 1971.
Thecla basalides Geyer (Lycaenidae) (Figs. 2-4). The caterpillars are a serious pest of pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.), causing great losses of this crop; they enter the inflorescence and cause an abnormal development, besides facilitating the entry of bacteria, and fungi which cause rotting. I have also found these larvae eating the fruits of another
134 Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
Fig. 1. Aechmea bracteata (Swartz) Griseb, a giant bromeliad from Veracruz.
bromeliad, Aechmea bracteata (Swartz) Griseb (Fig. 1), in southern Veracruz.
Thecla hesperitis Btlr. & Drc. (Lycaenidae). I found larvae eating the leaves of Tillandsia caput-medusae E. Morren, which I collected at Acahuizotla, Guerrero; they hatched on 20 June 1970.
Automeris janus metzli (Salle) (Saturnidae). A cocoon was found in an Aechmea bracteata var. pacifica Beutelsp. at El Rincon, Guerrero. It hatched on 18 August 1971; but this, as well as the next species, is considered a casual occurrence.
Urania fulgens Walk. (Uranidae). A cocoon was found among the leaves of Aechmea bracteata (Swartz) Griseb, at the "Los Tuxtlas" Biological Station.
Ammalo megapyrrha Walk, and Ecpantheria sp. (Arctiidae) found among leaves of the same Aechmea bracteata in San Luis Potosi and in southern Veracruz.
Acrolophus vigia Beutelsp. (Acrolophidae) (Figs. 5-6). This species was described from larvae cultivated in the laboratory and reared to obtain adults (Beutelspacher, 1969). The larvae were found in Aechmea
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135
Figs. 2-4. Thecla basalides Geyer (Lycaenidae). 2, egg on fruits of Aechmea hracteata (Swartz) Griseb; 3, pupa, lateral; 4, female.
136
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
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Figs. 5-6. Acrolophus vigia Beutelsp. (Acrolophidae). 5, male; 6, female. Figs. 7-8. Napaea eucharilla picina Stikel (Riodinidae). 7, pupa; 8, male.
Volume 26, Number 3
137
bracteata (Swartz) Griseb, in Veracruz and Yucatan, as well as in Aechmea mexicana Baker and Vriesia gladioliflora (Weindl.) Ant. in the "Los Tuxtlas" region, Veracruz, and in Vriesia chiapensis Matuda, from Bochil, Chiapas. The caterpillars feed on bromeliad leaves, and are semi-aquatic in their habits. The adults emerged in February.
I would like to express my thanks to Dr. Allan R. Phillips for English translation of this work.
Literature Cited
Beutelspacher, B. C. 1969. Una especie nueva de Acrolophus Poey, 1832, de
Brorneliaceas. (Lepidoptera, Acrolophidae). An. Inst. Biol. Univ. Nal. Auton.
Mexico, Ser. Zool. 40 (1): 43-48. Biezanko, C. M. 1961. Contribucao ao conhecimento da fisiografia do Rio Grande
do Sul. XIV. Castniidae, Zygaenidae, Dalceridae, Eucleidae, Megalophygidae,
Cossidae et Hepialidae da Zona Missioneira do Rio Grande do Sul. Arq. Entomol.
Ser. B. Escola de Agronomia "Eliseu Maciel." Hoffmann, C. C. 1940. Catalogo Sistematico y Zoogeografico de los Lepidopte
ros Mexicanos. la parte, Papilionoidea. An. Inst. Biol. Univ. Nal. Auton. Mexico
11 (2): 639-739. Picado, C. 1913. Les Bromeliacees epiphytes, considerees comme milieu biologique.
Bull. Sci. Fr. Belg. 47: 215-360, PL 6-34. Smith, L. B. 1938. North American Flora (Xyridales) Bromeliaceae. N. Y. Bot.
Garden 19 (2): 61-228.
THE EFFECT OF CAUTERIZING
THE MNPPM OF THE PUPA OF THE
MONARCH BUTTERFLY (DANAUS P. PLEXIPPUS) (DANAIDAE)
F. A. Urquhart
Scarborough College and the Department of Zoology, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Canada
The pupa of the monarch butterfly possesses well-defined surface pigmented areas (color plate, e) which, owing to the configuration of the lamellae of the cuticle plus the presence of a yellow epidermal pigment, imparts to them the appearance of golden spots and hence they have been referred to as "gold spots" in the literature. Since "gold spots" is not descriptive of these structures the terminology prismatic pigmented maculae (PPM) has been suggested (Urquhart & Tang, 1970).
Since the PPMs are constant in number and position and further since it was suspected that they may perform specific functions, terms have been applied to each pair, the designation of such terms referring to morphological structures of the developing imago (Urquhart, 1960).