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Volume 27, Number 1
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15
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possibly even in one area, but its preferences among the many species are not known.
Eggs were deposited on the stems and leaves, mostly on the under surface, of Ceanothus velutinus Douglas, and a few on C. sanguineus Pursh.; and on oak, in this case between the buds. Larvae would not feed on oak but fed readily on both species of Ceanothus, starting on the under surface. The upper surface of C. velutinus is somewhat sticky and feeding there is difficult. The larger larvae ate holes through the leaves and they also fed on the flower buds.
Eggs: the usual flattened shape, reticulated over the entire surface except the base; area about the micropyle depressed but also reticulated; light greenish; diameter 0.8 mm. Newly hatched larva: length 1 mm, sluglike; cream colored with many long hairs; a darker mid stripe and a lateral stripe; head light brown. Second instar: length 2.5 mm; light green, latero-dorsal ridges whitish; lateral ridge whitish; head black. Third instar: length 4-5 mm; same color and stripes; dorsal area dark green; many short spines all over body. Fourth instar: length 10 mm, width 3.5 mm; uniform light green except for narrow dorso-lateral whitish line. Full-grown larva: length 15 mm, width 5 mm; light green, two whitish dorsal stripes separated by a narrow green area; lateral stripe whitish; body covered with short golden hairs; ventral side lighter green; head small, dark brown, posterior part lighter brown. Pupa: length 11 mm, width 5 mm; chestnut brown with many irregular darker flecks on dorsum; head and wing covers with few hairs, many light brown ones dorsally.
Literature Cited
Brown, F. Martin. 1957. Colorado Butterflies. Proceedings Denver Museum of Natural History. Nos. 3-7. Denver, Colo.
Comstock, J. A. 1927. Butterflies of California. Los Angeles.
Hardy, A. 1959. On the life history of Incisalia eryphon (Lycaenidae) on southern Vancouver Island. J. Lepid. Soc. 13(2): 70.
Holland, W. J. 1930. The Butterfly Book. Doubleday, New York.
Jones, J. R. J. Llewellyn. 1951. An Annotated Check List of the Macrolepidoptera of British Columbia. The Entomological Society of British Columbia.
Scudder, S. H. 1889. The Butterflies of the Eastern United States and Canada. Cambridge.
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PRELIMINARY REPORT ON COMMUNAL RESTING OF SMYRNA KARWINSKII ADULTS (NYMPHALIDAE)
Since 1962 we have observed adults of Smyrna karwinskii (Geyer), resting in groups of ten individuals to more than 100, at all times of the day, either in small caves on a lava wall, or under concrete slabs covering alleys between some cabins on Cerro Verde. Cerro Verde, a mountain ca. 2000 m. elev., overlooks Izalco Volcano, about 50 km. WNW of San Salvador, capital of El Salvador. This phenomenon has been observed at different times of the year: March-April, August, and November-January, during both the dry and rainy season.
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16
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Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
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It had been our assumption that the groups were drinking filtration water, but this year we had a chance on 31 March to observe five groups more closely: one of about 15 individuals, one of about 20, two of about 50 and one of more than 100. All were in places protected against the wind. None of the individuals had the proboscis uncoiled, and there was no moisture present, yet the groups stayed there from the time first detected, 1015, to the time we left, 1700. From time to time individuals would fly away, and individuals would join the group. Males and females were mingled in each group, but no sexual activity was noticed.
All groups followed a certain pattern: a nucleus of about eight individuals had the heads together, so that the antennae, upraised, formed a tight fascia. Then a row of individuals formed a tight circle around this nucleus, with the antennae touching the wings of the inner group. In this way row after row were formed. Some rows did not form a complete circle, and eventually there was a line of four to five individuals breaking the regularity of the pattern, but they were encircled by the next row. All heads were pointing inward. The groups looked very much like dried moss growths.
When at the resting places the butterflies are very tame, so that specimens can be captured by hand from any place in the group, without disturbing the rest. If handled roughly the whole group will take flight, fully alert, and disperse among neighboring trees and rocks. In the surrounding woods individuals were observed while feeding on sap from wounds caused by other insects or woodpeckers high up in tree trunks.
We have not investigated yet if the individuals keep to their own groups after their occasional flights, or if they exchange locations with others; nor have we investigated if this species has acquired the behavior of forming groups just to protect themselves from the wind or predation. This behavior has not been observed in Smyrna blomfildia datis Fruhstorfer, a closely related species abundant in the lowerlands.
We intend to present the full results of our investigation on this phenomenon in a future article.
Alberto Muyshondt, 101 Ave. N., 322, Lomas Verdes, San Salvador, El Salvador.
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BIRD PREDATION ON PAP1LIO POLYXENES F. (PAPILIONIDAE)
Birds have been shown to exert substantial predation pressure on many butterfly species (Carpenter 1940, Entomol. Mon. Mag. 76: 224-229; Rawson & Bellinger 1953, Lepid. News 7: 27; Betts 1956, Entomol. Mon. Mag. 92: 68-71; Gibb 1958, J. Anim. Ecol. 27: 375-396). However, a shortage of field observations exist in the literature dealing with bird predation on larvae and adult butterflies.
During the summer of 1971, while carrying out field studies in Ithaca, New York, on the eastern black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), several observations on bird predation were made. On 3 June, a female butterfly was taken by a bluejay (Cyanocitta cristata L.) as she was ovipositing on carrot (Daucus carota L.). In the same area on 1 July, another bluejay was seen attacking a 5th instar larva on a carrot plant. Near Homer, New York, on 31 July, a male swallowtail was taken on the wing by a catbird (Dumetella carolinensis L.) just after the butterfly flew from the common burdock (Arctium minus (Hill) Bernh.) flower upon which it had been feeding.
James M. Erickson, Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850.
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