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Volume 27, Number 4
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Fig. 1. Cymoriza abrotalis Walker, holotype, $. Oxford University Museum.
Literature Cited
Hampson, Sir George F. 1897. On the classification of two subfamilies of moths
of the family Pyralidae: the Hydrocampinae and Scoparianae. Trans. Entomol.
Soc. London. 127-240. Klima, A. 1937. Lepidopterorum catalogus. Pars 84. 226 p. 's-Gravenhage. Munroe, E. 1970. Revision of the subfamily Midilinae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).
Mem. Entomol. Soc. Canada 74. 94 p. Walker, F. 1859. List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection
of the British Museum. Part XlX.-Pyralides. p. 799-1036. London.
UNUSUAL COPULATORY BEHAVIOR IN THE NYMPHALIDAE AND SATYRIDAE
Edwin M. Perkins, Jr.
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90007
Interspecific, heterosexual coupling among Rhopalocera in the wild is relatively uncommon enough to warrant being recorded in the literature (Hovanitz, 1949; Shigeru, 1956; Stallings et al., 1959; Downey, 1962; Shapiro & Biggs, 1968; Perkins & Gage, 1970; Priestaf, 1970; Piatt & Greenfield, 1971). Even more rare are occurrences of intergeneric, heterosexual coupling (Frechin, 1969; Jae, 1972).
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To date, however, a search of the literature confirms that instances of neither intraspecific, pleoheterosexual coupling nor intergeneric, homosexual coupling are known. The following account cites examples of each.
While visiting the Bentsen State Park National Wildlife Refuge, situated thirteen miles northwest of McAllen, Hidalgo County, Texas on 13 November 1962, I came upon a small collateral tributary of the Rio Grande, whose moist sand bar was nearly covered with imbibing butterflies. Bewildered by this spectacle, I cautiously approached and noted several hundred individuals, including examples of Libytheana bachmanni larvata Strecker, Phyciodes phaon Edwards, Zerene cessonia gen. aut. rosa M'Neill, Danaus gilippus strigosus Bates, Papilio cresphontes Cramer, Kricogonia lyside castalia Fabricius, Eurema lisa Boisduval, Hemiargus ceranus zachaeina Butler & Druce, Atlides halesus estesi Clench, and Myscelia ethusa Boisduval.
Of particular interest were three specimens that appeared to be in copula. Despite their efforts to escape my net, all three were genitalically attached and remained so until placed in a cyanide bottle. Examination of the unlikely threesome revealed 2 $ $ and 1 $ P. phaon (Fig. 1).
Twenty-two months later, on 11 August 1964, a similarly surprising event took place at Camp Sherman, Jefferson County, Oregon. This day, while collecting in the lush meadows that border the Metolius River, I had already taken several copulating pairs of Speyeria cybele leto Behr, S. atlantis dodgei Gunder, and S. mormonia erinna Edwards.
Beside a willow-bordered drainage ditch, I noted a tall blade of grass on which two, in copula butterflies were at rest: affixed by their claspers were 1 £ S. m. erinna and 1 S Cercyonis pegala ariane Boisduval. When disturbed, the S. m. erinna labored upward—in a forward direction— under the weight of the attached C. p. ariane, which it pulled after it. The pair (Fig. 2) was captured in flight at 1400 PDT, placed in a separate cyanide bottle, spread and genitalically examined at the same time, and given cross-reference data labels in order to minimize the considerable confusion that already prevailed! All specimens are currently housed in the Allyn Museum of Entomology, Sarasota, Florida.
It is tempting to speculate about the overall importance of these observations regarding the breakdown of behavioral and/or mechanical isolating mechanisms within or between species. Certainly, neither of the two particular unions described could definitively subserve any reproductive end. Behavioral aberrations such as these, and that described by Heitzman (1964), not only challenge the "lock and key" hypothesis, but also suggest the possibility of a parallel development in precopulatory
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Figs. 1-2. Specimens taken in copula: (1) Phyciodes phaon males and female (center), dorsal surfaces (Bentsen State Park, Hidalgo Co., Texas, 13 November 1962, E. M. Perkins, collector); (2) Speyeria mormonia erinna male (above), and Cercyonis pegala ariane male (below), ventral surfaces (Camp Sherman, Jefferson Co., Oregon, 11 August 1964, E. M. Perkins, collector).
behavior and/or chemical configuration of pheromones in certain, dissimilar lepidopterous taxa. It is interesting to note that capture time of specimens in the latter event coincides with frequency polygons of observed mating times for both Nymphalidae and Satyridae (Miller & Clench, 1968). Although the significance of both records is subject to debate, if not entirely enigmatic, these data are placed on permanent record in the hope that they might in some way shed additional light on our knowledge regarding insect behavior, pheromones, and/or evolution.
Literature Cited
Downey, J. C. 1962. Inter-specific pairing in Lycaenidae. J. Lepid. Soc. 16:
235-237. Frechin, D. 1969. A notable intergeneric mating (Lycaenidae). J. Lepid. Soc.
23: 115. Heitzman, R. 1964. The story of a "mixed up" Thorybes pylades (Hesperiidae).
J. Lepid. Soc. 18: 169-170. Hovanitz, W. 1949. Interspecific matings between Colias eurytheme and Colias
philodice in wild populations. Evolution 3: 170-173. Jae, R. J. 1972. Natural inter-breeding of close nymphalid groups. J. Lepid. Soc.
26: 28.
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Miller, L. D. & H. K. Clench. 1968. Some aspects of mating behavior in butterflies. J. Lepid. Soc. 22: 125-132. Perkins, E. M. & E. V. Gage. 1970. On the occurrence of Limenitis archippus X
L. lorquini hybrids. J. Res. Lepid. 9: 223-226. Platt, A. P. & J. C. Greenfield, Jr. 1971. Inter-specific hybridization between
Limenitis arthemis astyanax and L. archippus (Nymphalidae). J. Lepid. Soc.
25: 278-284. Priestaf, R. C. 1970. Courtship and mating between Chlosyne neumogeni and
Chlosyne californica (Nymphalidae). J. Lepid. Soc. 24: 226. Shapiro, A. M. & J. D. Biggs. 1968. A hybrid Limenitis from New York. J. Res.
Lepid. 7: 149-152. Shigeru, A. A. 1956. Hybrids between Colias eurytheme and C. interior (Pieridae).
J. Lepid. Soc. 10: 9-14.
NOTES ON THE LIFE CYCLE AND NATURAL HISTORY OF BUTTERFLIES OF EL SALVADOR.
II. ANAEA (ZARETIS) ITYS (NYMPHALIDAE)
Alberto Muyshondt
101 Avenida Norte #322, San Salvador, El Salvador
This is the second article of a series dealing with what my sons and I have discovered about the life cycle and natural history of butterflies found in the neighborhood of San Salvador, capital city of El Salvador. The life cycles of many neotropical butterflies are apparently incompletely known, and therefore classification has been solely on the basis of the adult morphological characteristics.
The determination of the species mentioned herein has been done by Dr. Lee D. Miller of the Allyn Museum of Entomology. Adults and at least some specimens of the early stages have been placed in that museum, so as to be available for students of the groups.
In the introduction of our prior article (1973), a rough description of the country, its climatic zones and other pertinent information was given, so as to make an understandable picture of the habitats of the species described in these articles.
Anaea (Zaretis) itijs Cramer, belonging to the subfamily Charaxinae, has been placed at different times in several genera: Papilio (by Cramer, 1777), Siderone (by Westwood, 1850), Zaretes (Friihstorfer, 1909); and has been described several times, due perhaps to the great geographical, seasonal and individual variation shown. Comstock (1961) uses the name Anaea (Zaretis) itys, leaving open the possibility that valid subspecies might be found later.