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Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
Butterflies of the Amazon rainforest
 
Manu Spreadwing
Antigonus decens  BUTLER, 1874
Family - HESPERIIDAE
subfamily - PYRGINAE
Tribe - PYRGINI
 
 introduction | habitats | lifecycle | adult behaviour
 
Antigonus decens, male, Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
 
Introduction
 
Members of the subfamily Pyrginae are commonly known as Flats or Spreadwings due to their habit of basking with the wings fully outspread. The Pyrginae have representatives worldwide and in all habitats including mountain peaks, flowery grasslands, rainforests and deserts. In the neotropics there are no less than 991 species.
 
The tribe Pyrgini includes 581 neotropical species, in genera that include Pyrgus, Bolla, Erynnis, Mylon, Achlyodes, Quadrus, Paches, Atarnes, Heliopetes and Antigonus.
 
The genus Antigonus comprises 9 small to medium sized species, characterised by having a pointed fw apex, slight concavities in the outer margins of fore and hindwings, and a habit ( shared with several other Pyrgine genera ) of holding the forewings such that the apical area is folded downwards at an angle of about 30 degrees.
 
Antigonus decens occurs throughout the lowland rainforests of Brazil, Peru and Ecuador.
 
Antigonus decens, male, Rio Madre de Dios, Peru
 
Habitats
 
This species appears to be confined to lowland rainforests at altitudes from sea level to about 300m.
 
Lifecycle
 
The lifecycle appears to be unrecorded. Generally, Pyrgine butterflies lay their eggs singly on either the upperside or underside of leaves. The larvae are typically dull green or brownish, with thin longitudinal lines along the back and sides, and with black shiny heads. They feed typically on low growing plants, but a small percentage feed on the leaves of bushes or trees. The pupae are usually dark and smooth, with the wing cases in a contrasting tone or colour. They are normally formed within silken tents formed by spinning together the leaves of the foodplant.
 
Adult behaviour

 

My only observations of this attractive little skipper have been of male singletons visiting sandbanks. In such situations they imbibe dissolved minerals from algae-covered rocks or damp sand, particularly in areas soaked in urine. When not feeding they sit on the leaves of sedges or other low herbage, with wing tips downfolded in the manner typical of the genus.

 

 

 
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