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GENERAL NOTES
JvHTTuihifthe I jrpirfitpttirixts' Society 5S(U,2IW4.48-50
NEW RANGE EXTENSIONS, LARVAL HOSTPLANT RECORDS AND NATURAL HISTORY OBSERVATIONS OF CUBAN BUTTERFLIES
Additicmat key words; Kuphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Bignoniaceae, Acanthaceae, Rutaceae.
Although butterflies liave not been thoroughly collected in Camagiiey province, a checklist of the territory lias been recently published as the result of field surveys and collections completed during the last ten years (Fernandez & Rodriguez 1998). The latter complements the preliminary work of Guerra et al. (1993), who reported 76 butterflies and skippers. This updated and augmented list included 125 species, but their residency status has not been entirely determined within the province due to the paucity ol information available lor some of them. A few have only been collected or observed on one or two occasions due to the short collecting time available.
Here, I report range extensions for the nympbalid Antillea pelops anacaona (Herricli-Schaffer), the lv-caenid Strynwn acis casasi (Comstoek & Huntington) and the hesperiid Achbjodcs munroei Bell, which represent new butterflies for the province. The associated larval hostplants for these species and for six other butterflies and biological, ecological and distributional data are also discussed. Voucher adult specimens of I lie three newk recorded species are deposited in the authors collection and a pair of A, munroci with associated pupal exuvia has been deposited in the collection of the Allyn Museum of Entomology, Florida Museum of Natural History,
These observations were made between May 199b' and November 2001 in the following localities in Cam-agiiey province: Albaiza, Oamaguey city, (Central Gin-dido Gonzalez, Limones, Loma de Yucatan and Santa Ana (south of the INIV1T Experimental Station). The Fourth and the fifth sites were areas not previously sampled. Additional information was also obtained from other field trips at the southern slope of Sierra de Cubitas in 1988, 1994 and 1996.
Nymphalidae
Anaea cubana (H. H. Druce). One fifth and four fourth instar lanae were found in the leaves ofCroton sagracanus Mucll. Arg. (Eophorbiaceae) at Limones in June. All were inside vertical tubular shelters, open at both ends, and formed by lying together various longitudinally interconnected leaves. The caterpillar always enters the upper and wider opening and backs into the tube (caudal end first) once it returns from
feeding. Once inside, the conspicuous head capsule remains exposed at the entrance. The fourth instar larvae were fed with the leaves of Croton argenteus L. instead of the original host. They accepted the new food-plant and completed development to the adult stage. On this plant, the larvae either lived exposed or tied the edges of an individual leaf for shelter, Croion ar-genteus was growing spontaneously along roadsides in the surroundings of the city of Camaguey. Pupation took place in the underside of the leaves of the host (in the field, a pupal exuvia was also found on the underside of a G saqraeanuti leaf) and lasted 9 (n = 2 males) and !fl (u = 2 females) days. The adults were not abundant at the collecting site but seen during all of the field visits, flying along hedgerows and roadsides and attracted to fallen, ripe mangoes.
According to Alayo and Hernandez (1987), the larva of A. cubana was reared by Gundlach on 1'ectis (Asteraceae) species. As all other species of Anaea have been reported to be confined to Euphorbiaceae (Smith et al. 1994), this record on Asteraceae is likely a mistake.
llamadryaa amphichloe diattia (Fmhstorfer). Two larvae were found on leaves of DaUchampta scan-dens L. (Euphorbiaceae) at Loma de Yucatan. There were not records of foodplants for this Antillean subspecies but Smith et al. (1994) mentioned that species of Datedtctmpia or Tragia were likely to serve as host.
Antilles pelopH anacaona (Herrich-Scbaffer). Seven specimens of this endemic subspecies (five males and two females) were taken at Limones in June and September. These were found in humid, shady undergrowth beneath a mango tree in a wooded area. The individuals were perching on plants less than 1 in tall, with both wings slightly, partly or fully open (but not pressed against the leaves). Sometimes the butterflies flexed their wings at a rapid rate or were seen flying just above or between the low vegetation. At times, the flight may be slow and weak, but it can also be quite agile and difficult to follow. All these adult behaviors combined to make the butterfly inconspicuous supporting the observations made by Smith et al. (1994) that they may he overlooked unless present in numbers, A male nectarine on Altcrnanlhera axillaris (Hornem.) D. Dietr. (Amai anthaeeae) and a specimen
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thermoregulating with wings partly open before midday were other behaviors observed for the butterfly.
Two fourth instar larvae were independently collected on Blechum pyramidalum (Lam,) Urb. andjus-ticia cmnata (L.) Lam. (both Aeanthaueae) in September. One of the taivae pupated and emerged as an adult male after six days. The butterfly appears to be resident, and on the last two visits to the area in September, I observed two fresh pairs. This tiuy nymphalid was reported by Alayo & Hernandez (1987) in Gran Piedra and Sardinero, Santiago de Cuba, in eastern Cuba; and Pinares de Vinales and Luis Lazo, Pinar del Rio, to the west. They are always seen in small isolated groups. Funtenla (1987) also reported it from a wooded area of Parque Lenin, Ciudad de La llabana.
Lycaemdae
Strymon nets caxaxi (Comstoek & Huntington).
Three adults and a last instar larva of this endemic subspecies were taken at Limoues in May and June The first specimen found was a rather worn female that perched on a low-growing plant of Dichrostachys ciiwrua Willd. (Fabaceae). It was collected just after an erratic and instantaneous (lit;lil along a path between dense groups of the exotic legume. The two other specimens, a badly worn female which was released and a fresh male, were collected on C. sagraeanua flowers. A larva was also collected in the same area as the adults and was reared on the Croton flowers until pupation. However, the adult did not emerge. Other lycaenids, including many male Ministnjnwn azia (Ile-witson) and some Strymon columella cybira (Ilewit-sou), Leptotes cassias theonus (Lucas), Hemiargus hannoftlenua (Poey) and Cydargus a. amnion (Lucas) were also present and nectaring on the Croton flowers, S. acts caxasi was not seen commonly, and more visits to the locality will be required for further obsen'ations to determine the peak months of adult activities. Alayo and Hernandez (1987) cited this subspecies as rare, being only collected around Guantanamo province or some other localities of the extreme eastern part of the island,
Strymon columella cybira (Hewitson). A last in-star lai-va was found on C. argenleus (lowers in Cam-agiiey city. In Cuba, a wide range of foodplants is now known for this lycaenid, not only in the Malvaceae but also members io the Acanthaceae, Portulaeaceae, Ster-culiaccac am! Sunaiiaceae fernandez 21)01 ).
Leptotes casstws theonwt (Lucas). I -arvae were always found feeding on flowers. In Camagiiey city, larvae were on Albizzia lebbeck (L.) Benfh., Calliandra vurinamensis Bcnth. and Pithecellobium duke Benth. (Fabaceae). In Albaiza, larvae were on Calopogonium mvctmoides Desv. (Fabaceae), and in Central Candido
Gonzalez, they were on Clytostama callmtegioides Bur. (Bignoniaceae), a plant family not previously recorded for the lycaenid. The hostplants for L. cassias are generally herbaceous legumes but Malpighiaceae and Plumbaginaceae are also used (Smith et a). 1994),
HESPKRHOAE
froteiden mayni (Lucas). Oviposition on the underside of a leaflet of Andira inermis (Wright! Kunlh ex DC. (Fabaceae) was observed at Limones. After eclo-sion, the larva was reared on Lonohocurjms dominguen-sis (Turp. ex Pers.) DC. (Fabaceae) through the fifth in-star hut died due to excessive humidity in the rearing container. No previous life history information was available fortius endemic Cuban skipper (Smith et al, 1994).
Burca concolor concolor (Herrich-Schaffer). The larvae of different instars were commonly observed on C, sagraeanus leaves at Limones in May, June and September. They construct shelters by using interconnecting leaves or bending them inward and sealing the unions between margins, and using a tomentum present on the underside of leaves. Farlier in-star larvae build a shelter on the ventral surface of a single leaf just using this tomentum and feed on leaf edges. Active feeding occurs only on the upper side (leaving the tomentum) which produces the effect of a chlorutic or scraped leaf. Later instar larvae cut out the leaf section where they have fed so damaged parts are not visible on the plant. Pupation takes place in the shelter and lasts 8-9 days (n = 3).
The adults were more numerous only in June. The males constantly patrolled around and between Croton stands at low or medium height from die ground. The females also joined males in this behavior with oppositions in some cases; one female was also taken while perching with closed wings on aGliricidkisepinm (Jacq.) Kimth ex WaJp. (Fabaceae) leaflet to a height of about 4 m. Individuals of both sexes were seen taking nectar with wings fully open on flowers of the hostplant, but males also visited Koanophylkn oillos-am (Sw.) P.M. Kinget H, Rub. (Asteracoae). Solitary males were obsen-ed sipping waller at the edges of mud puddles. This skipper appears to be resident and fairly common at Limones.
In addition, several larvae were also found on Croton origanifolius Lam. at Albai/a in August and November. Here, no adults of this species had been recorded during previous field studies but upon locating the immatures, a female was observed in the nearby hostplant patch at a latter date. This individual took nectar on C. orignnifolias and on Bourreriu mi-crophijlla Griseb. (Bnraginaccae), and later alighted with wings open on dry grasses on the ground, where its presence was inconspicuous.
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Journal of the Lemdoitkrists' Society
Bitrca c. concolor was recorded for the first time in (lama^uev in 1988 near Paso de los Paredones in the dry plains of the southern slope ot Sierra de Cubitus hills where the species was seen along roadsides. In more recent years (1994 and 1996), it has also been found there again and seen at times in abundance. Individual specimens have been observed alighting on stones or low plants and neetaring on Waltheria indica L. (Sterculiaceae) flowers. In addition to the above mentioned localities, other specimens of this skipper have been also taken in a wooded tract around the lower part ol Loina de Yucatan in June. Due to its general associations with grasses and open areas, this species is probably originating from the adjacent savannas,
This endemic subspecies is considered as very rare in Cuba (Alavo & Hernandez 1987), recorded from pico Potrerillo. Escambray; Cuabalcs de Corral Nuevo, Matanzas; Toituguilla, Guantanamo; playa Juragua, Santiago de (Xiba, Smith et al. (1994) have added playa Anton, near Trinidad as another collecting site. The discovery ol the loodplant association with Croton of tins species will not only help to understand the significance of the local occurrence of the skipper but may perhaps encourage a wider search of this species in local foodplant patches.
Achlyoden munroei Bell. Miller and Simon (1998) mentioned that apparently the last known specimens of A. munroei were collected over a half century ago by Pastor Alavo, despite continued diligent search for it in Cuba by i .uis Roberto Hernandez, and others. Some lamented that this insect might be extinct. Although older A. munroei specimens were found in the coastal locality of Si bo ney, Santiago de Cuba (Smith et al. 1994), the area for the recently collected ones is an inland site, primarily a cattle pasture with many trees and low-growing hushes, including two Ztmthtrxiflum. Here A. mUhridates papinianus (Poey) is a more common inhabitant and found in various larval stages, which utilize all rutaeeous trees available (including Citrus). This area remains abandoned for some periods that allows plant vegrowth and formation of very suitable habitats, not only for resident butterflies but for temporary colonizers, such as A. munroei.
I found this species as larvae in leaf shelters ofZsn-ihaxyltim martmicense (Lam.) DC, (Kutaceae) in August at Santa Ana. A male was captured in November
2001, at the same site. Apart from the perching posture of the third collected specimen, with wings fully open and resting on leaves at about 40 cm high from the ground, no other distinct behaviors were seen.
Until very recently, A. munroei was considered to be an endemic Cuban species, but it lias subsequently been found on Cat Island, Bahamas, Recent collections there suggest that the insect is well established and will probably he recorded on other Croat Bahama Bank islands in the future (Miller & Simon 1998). The discovery of the species in Camagiiey not only confirms that A. munroei still exists in Cuba, but it may well prove to be also more widely distributed as further field studies are conducted by resident entomologists.
I wish to thank Adclaida Barreto (CI MAC, Camagiiey) and Eddy Martinez {HIOECO, Santiago do Cuba) for their invaluable assistance in the identifications of the larval foodplanU and nectar sources. Special thanks to Di's. Lee and Jacqueline Miller (Allyii Museum of Entomology) tor confirming identification of A. munroeU helping with the English and reviewing the manuscript. My wife Noris V. Verdeeia and Carlos A. Sih:;ivls also helped during preparation of the manuscript and warrant my thanks.
Literature Cited
Al^TO, P. & L. ft. Hernandez. 19N7. Atlas de las maiiposas dinr-nas de Cuba (Lepidopterar Rhopalncera). La Elabana, Ed. Cientinco-T£eiuc». 148 pp.
Fr:aNANnt:z. D. M. 2001. New opposition and larvsu hostplanr records for twenty-three Cuban butterflies, with observations on the biology and distribution of some species. Carib. J. Sei. 37(1-2):122-125.
FFRSiANDEZ, D. M & L. RODRIGUEZ. 1998. Las maiiposas de Ca-magiiev (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea y Hesperioidea). Cocuvo 7:21-23.
Fonte\la, J. L. I9S7. Aspeetos comparativos estructurates de tres eoumnidades de mariposas (Lepidoptera: Rbopalocera) en Cuba, Poeyana 337; 1-20.
GuERRA, M„ R, Ron life lira, E. Vel^zoiez, R. Acosta. E. Suaaez & H. Sonora. 1993. Listado prelimiiiarde las mariposasdiur nas (Lepidoptera: Rbopalocera) de Camagiiey. Mouteverdia 1(1):10-13.
Miller, L. D. & M j. Simon 1H9H. Rediscovery of the rare, "endemic'' Cuban butterfly, AchUjotles munraei, with notes on its behavior and possible origin. Carib. J. Sei. 34( 3-^1 ):327-329.
Smith. D. S.. L. D. Miller & J. Y. Miller. 1994. The butterflies of the West Indies and South Florida New York, Oxford Univ. Press. 264 pp.
Douglas Manuel Fernandez Hernandez, Apartado Postal 83, Camagiiey 1, C.P. 70100, Cuba, email: douglasm@medscape.com
Heceivetl for publication !ti Deceiniier 2002, revised and accepted 17 September 2003.