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Volume 39, Number 4
329
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 39(4), 1985, 329-330
AN ABERRATION OF ICARICIA ACMON LUTZI (LYCAENIDAE)
Responding to the suggestion of F. Martin Brown, Colorado Springs, Colorado, I present a photograph of an aberrant male Icaricia acmon lutzi (dos Passos). This butterfly,
Fig. 1. Aberrant male of Icaricia acmon lutzi, Custer Co., below—bottom view.
Idaho: Above—top view;
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Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
the only one sighted to date, was captured while it was visiting cold camphre coals on 14 July 1983, in Stanley Basin, Custer County, Idaho. Mr. Brown conveyed to me that he was unaware of any record of this aberrant form of lutzi.
K. D. Cannon, 2420 Gekeler L., Boise, Idaho 83706.
Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society 39(4), 1985, 330-333
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES FOR AELLOPOS CECULUS (CRAMER) (SPHINGIDAE) IN NORTHEASTERN COSTA RICA
With the exception of one early study (Moss, 1920, Novit. Zool. 27:333-424) and one recent one (Haber & Frankie, 1983, In Janzen, D. H. (ed.), Costa Rican natural history, The Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago, 816 pp.), little information has been published regarding the life cycle and associated natural history for Neotropical sphingids of the genus Aellopos (formerly Sesia). In this note I report additional information on the early stages and life cycle of A. ceculus (Cramer) (Fig. 1) at one locality in northeastern Costa Rica, including observations on oviposition, larval food plant, and caterpillar behavior. Previously, a description of the fifth instar larva and a larval food plant record had been reported by Moss (op. cit.) in Brazil.
The locality is "Finca La Tigra," near La Virgen (10°23'N, 84°07'W; 220 m elev.), Heredia Province and Sarapiqui District, Costa Rica. Information on this sphingid was generated by observing caterpillars in captivity and one instance of repeated oviposition attempts by one female in the wild. One fourth instar larva was reared in February 1984 to adulthood, and a second individual was reared from egg to adult in August-September 1984. Rearing was done by confining a caterpillar in a large, tightly closed, clear plastic bag containing fresh cuttings of the food plant.
On 4 August 1984 and 1600 h, a female A. ceculus alighted a total of five times on the very long (approx. 1.0 m) meristem of the rubiaceous vine-like shrub Sabicea billosa R. & S. Immediately prior to this time, I observed the same moth meander through dense pockets of secondary-growth vines on the opposite side of the roadcut from this individual of S. billosa. The moth fluttered and hovered in this vine patch for several minutes before darting across the gravelly dirt road to oviposit on S. billosa. Although the moth momentarily alighted at several places on the long meristem, including unfurling leaflets, close examination of the vine following the departure of the moth revealed only a single egg carefully positioned on the dorsal surface of a tiny leaflet near the very tip of the meristemal growth (Fig. 2). Even though freshly opened flowers were present on the older portions of this vine and on adjacent individuals of S. billosa, A. ceculus did not pause to feed. Careful examination of both meristems and older leaves and flowers on three S. billosa vines in the same area revealed no additional eggs or sphingid caterpillars. All three vines possessed very clear evidence of recent "explosive" growth of meristems, easily recognizable by the reddish tinge of these tissues.
The white 1.1 mm dia. spherical egg (Fig. 2) bears no external ridges or other sculpturing and hatches in five days. The first instar larva immediately devours the egg shell; the larva is 6 mm long x 1.2 mm thick, and pale, translucent green with a 1.1 mm long terminal black caudal "horn." About four days later, the caterpillar molts to the second instar; it is about 14 mm long at this time. Although very similar in overall appearance to the first instar, the caterpillar's body cuticle assumes a reflective luster and with faint evidence of a medial, dorsal pink band running the length (Fig. 2). Throughout all instars, the head capsule remains pale green in color but with a stripe pattern becoming evident by the third instar larval stage. The trunk region of both the first and second instars is dark green and covered sparsely with fine setae. The caudal horn in both instars stands