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Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 38(1), 1984, 60-61
GENERAL NOTES
INSECT PARASITES AND PREDATORS OF HACKBERRY BUTTERFLIES (NYMPHALIDAE: ASTEROCAMPA)
During the course of collecting and rearing immature stages of hackberry butterflies (Nymphalidae: Asterocampa) over the past five years, a number of arthropod parasites and predators were encountered. These arthropods have been preserved or their behaviors recorded in hopes of understanding some of the selective pressures which might affect the courses of evolution for Asterocampa species. This note is a report of insect species which have a greater or lesser effect on survival of the various stages of the butterflies.
Identifications were made by the author with the aid of the cited references and the reference collection at Texas A&M University. Help in the collection or identification of specimens, or review of the manuscript was provided by L. G. Friedlander, P. Davis, D. and D. Paschley, and Drs. H. R. Burke, J. C. Schaffner, and R. Wharton.
The most frequently encountered parasites of hackberry butterflies are the scelionid egg parasites, which occur in all Asterocampa observed. Stink bugs, such as the one figured by Langlois and Langlois (1964, Ohio J. Sci. 64:1-11, fig. 11), are the most common predators. Only one other insect (at the generic level) has been positively reported to attack Asterocampa, the larval parasite, Hyposoter fugitivus (Say) (Hym.: Ichneumonidae) (Townes, 1945, Mem. Amer. Entomol. Soc. No. 11, Pt. II, pp. 479-925).
Parasites Reared from Eggs
1. Hym.: Eulophidae: Tetrastichus spp. (Boucek, 1977, Bull. Entomol. Res. 67:17-30): A. clyton (Boisduval & Leconte) egg masses (TEXAS: Brazos Co., 14-VII-79; Menard Co., 20-VI-79).
2. Hym.: Scelionidae: Telenomus spp. (Masner, 1976, Mem. Entomol.1^Soc. Canada No. 97, 87 pp.): A. argus (Bates) egg mass (MEXICO: Oaxaca, 11-VII-^l); A. celtis (Boisduval & Leconte) eggs (TEXAS: Hidalgo Co., 4-VI-81); A. clyton egg masses (ARIZONA: Pima Co., 23-VIII-80; TEXAS: Brazos Co., 14-VII-79; Menard Co.\ 20-VI-79; San Patricio Co., 3-VI-81; Travis Co., 14-X-77; Waller Co., 8-VII-79; VIRGINIA: Westmoreland Co., 22-VI-80); A. leilia (Edwards) eggs (TEXAS: Starr Co., 6-VI-81).v
Parasites Reared from Larvae
1. Dip.: Tachinidae: Euphorocera prob. floridensis Townsend (Aldrich and Web^prr 1924, Proc. U.S. Natl. Mus. 63:1-90; Cole, 1969, The flies of western North America, Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 693 pp.): A. celtis last stage larva (TEXAS^ Austin Co., 6-VIII-79).
2. Dip.: Tachinidae: Lespesia prob. aletiae (Riley) (Beneway, 1963, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 44:627-686; Cole, 1969, loc. cit): A. clyton late stage larvae (TEXAS: Gonzales Co., 30-IX-79).
3. Hym.: Braconidae: Cotesia spp. (Mason, 1981, Mem. Entomol. Soc. Canada No. 115, 147 pp.): A. clyton third stage larvae (TEXAS: Gonzales Co., 21-IX-79; Hidalgo Co., 13-XI-77; Jeff Davis Co., 15-VIII-81; Uvalde Co., 23-IX-79).
4. Hym.: Braconidae: Meteorus spp. (Tobias, 1966, Entomol. Rev. 45:348-358): A. clyton larvae1 (TEXAS: Goliad Co., 6-VI-81; Travis Co., 29-V-78, 20-VII-79).
5. Hym.: Eulophidae: Elachertus sp. (Peck et al., 1964, Mem. Entomol. Soc. Canada No. 34, 120 pp.): A. celtis last stage larva (TEXAS: Travis Co., 21-VI-78); A. clyton middle stage larvae (TEXAS: Brazos Co., 14-VII-79; Travis Co., 28-X-77).
6. Hym.: Ichneumonidae: Microcharops tibialis (Cresson) (Townes, 1969, Mem. Amer. Entomol. Inst. No. 13, 307 pp.; Townes and Townes, 1966, Mem. Amer. Entomol. Inst. No. 8, 367 pp.): A. clyton third stage larva (LOUISIANA: St. Tammany Parish, 30-111-82).
Volume 38, Number 1
61
Parasites Reared from Pupae
1. Hym.; Chalcidiae: Brachymeria sp. (Howard, 1885, U.S. Dept. Agric., Bur. Ento-mol., Bull. No. 5, 47 pp.): A. clyton pupa (TEXAS: Gonzales Co., 15-X-77).
2. Hym.: Ichneumonidae: Itoplectis conquisitor (Say): A. clyton pupa (TEXAS: Dimmit Co., 21-IV-79).
Predators
1. Hem.: Pentatomidae: Apateticus cynicus Say (Slater and Baranowski, 1978, How to know the true bugs (Hemiptera-Heteroptera), Wm. C. Brown Co. Publ., Dubuque, Iowa, 256 pp.): A. clyton early stage larvae (TEXAS: Travis Co., 26-111, 24-V, 18-X, 31-X-77).
2. Hem.: Pentatomidae: Apateticus lineolatus (Herrick-Schaeffer) (det. J. Eger): A. clyton larvae (TEXAS: Cameron Co., 13-111-79).
3. Hem.: Pentatomidae: Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Slater and Baranowski, 1978, loc. cit): A. clyton early stage larvae (TEXAS: Travis Co., 24-V, 1-VI, 23-28-X-77, 23-V-78).
4. Hem.: Reduviidae: Sinea prob. sanguisuga Stal: A. clyton second stage larva (TEXAS: Travis Co., 29-V-78).
5. Hem.: Reduviidae: Sinea spinipes (Herrick-Schaeffer) (Slater and Baranowski, 1978, loc. cit.): A. clyton early stage larvae (TEXAS: Travis Co., 28-X-77).
6. Hym.: Vespidae: Polistes exclamans Viereck: A. celtis fifth stage larva (TEXAS: Travis Co., 24-IV-78); A. clyton third stage larvae (TEXAS: Travis Co., 25-X-77).
7. Hym.: Vespidae: Vespula sp.: A. clyton third stage larvae (TEXAS: Travis Co., 31-X-77).
Timothy P. Friedlander, Department of Entomology, Texas AhM University, College Station, Texas 77843.
1 None were reared from larvae. One female Meteorus was observed to oviposit in A. clyton larvae. One female hyperparasite of Meteorus was observed to oviposit in larvae of the same species. One of these hyperparasites was reared from Meteorus cocoons taken in close association with A. clyton larvae.
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 38(1), 1984, 61-63
ITHOMIINE BUTTERFLIES ASSOCIATED WITH NON-ANTBIRD DROPPINGS IN COSTA RICAN TROPICAL RAIN FOREST
Adult females of Mechanitis and the allied genus Melinaea (Brown, 1977, Syst. Ento-mol. 2:161-197) feed on the fresh droppings of birds (primarily antbirds) that follow swarms of army ants through tropical rain forest in Costa Rica (e.g., Ray and Andrews, 1980, Science 210:1147-1148). These authors conclude that bird droppings resulting from birds following army ant swarms provide a predictable nutrient resource for these female butterflies, and that the exploitation of this resource may be related, in some yet to be studied way, to egg production. In this note I extend the findings of Ray and Andrews (op. cit.) to the association of female ithomiines of various genera to fresh droppings of bird species not associated with army ant swarms in Costa Rican tropical rain forest. I conclude that fresh bird droppings of any kind in such a habitat provide a resource exploited by ithomiines on an opportunistic basis.
Between 1972 and 1980, I conducted several studies of various butterfly species in a small parcel of relatively undisturbed mixed primary and secondary-growth tropical rain forest (premontane tropical wet forest) at "Finca La Tigra", near La Virgen (220 m elev.), Heredia Province, Costa Rica. The site is about 20 km from the "Finca La Selva"