Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Mosaic
Colobura dirce
LINNAEUS, 1758
Family -
NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
NYMPHALINAE
Tribe - NYMPHALINI
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
Colobura dirce, Tingo Maria,
Peru
Introduction
This
distinctively marked species is one which will be familiar to
anyone who has visited the neotropics.
The butterflies habitually sit on the tree trunks in a head downwards
posture, at a height of about 2 metres, to imbibe sap and moisture from
crevices in the bark. If approached they sometimes try to evade the intruder by
running around to the opposite side of the tree, and if followed
will run back to their original position - quite literally forcing
the observer to run around in circles after them. They are
extremely reluctant to take flight when feeding, and if they are
forced to do so they quickly return to resume feeding.
The tribe Coeini comprises 6 genera -
Colobura,
Baeotus,
Historis,
Pycina,
Smyrna
and
Tigridia.
There are 2 species in the genus
Colobura,
namely
dirce
and
annulata,
both found throughout the Amazonian region.
Colobura dirce, Catarata Bayoz, Le
Merced,
Peru
Habitats
The butterfly breeds in primary and secondary forest at altitudes between sea
level and about 1400m but is found more frequently at altitudes below 800m.
Lifecycle
The eggs are white and
laid in groups of between 2 and 10 on leaves of the foodplant.
The young caterpillars
feed on Cecropia
leaves and make "frass chains" i.e. chains of droppings linked
together by strands of silk, which protrude from the edges of the leaves. When not feeding they rest on these frass chains, which provide them with a defence against certain marauding ant
species which seem unwilling to step onto the silk strands.
The fully grown larvae are velvety black and adorned
with white rosetted spines along the back, and yellow spines along the sides.
They live and feed gregariously in groups of between 5 and 20. When feeding they
bite through the stems, causing alleochemics ( anti-herbivore juices ) to bleed
from the plant, stopping it from mobilising chemicals into the area being eaten.
The
pupa, as described by DeVries in "Butterflies of Costa Rica", is elongate,
cylindrical, and looks like a dead broken twig.
Adult behaviour
Males commonly visit orchards
or other sites where there are fallen fruits. They are also sometimes seen
visiting sandbanks or
damp soil. At these times they tend to walk about while
probing for moisture, often fanning their wings slowly as they do so.
More often
though they are
encountered within shady forest, often in company with
Tigridia
acesta,
sitting on tree trunks.
They habitually settle in a head-downwards position, with
wings held erect, while imbibing moisture from mosses or from tiny crevices in
the bark. I have also found them on walls, concrete
bridge supports etc, and they will also settle on sources of human sweat such as
the straps of rucksacks or camera bags. Sometimes they are found singly, but
more often in groups of 2 or 3.
Colobura dirce, Rio Madre de Dios,
Peru
|
