Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Pisonis Mimic
Itaballia pandosia
HEWITSON, 1853
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily -
PIERINAE
Itaballia
pandosia pisonis Ecuador
© Tony Hoare
Introduction
This
little butterfly belongs to a genus containing only 3 species -
pandosia,
marana
and
demophile,
all confined to the neotropical region.
Itaballia
pandosia is the
smallest member of the genus, with a wingspan of about 50mm, and can be confused
with the Dismorphiine
Moschoneura pinthous,
which flies in similar habitats and has a similar flight pattern. The latter
species however is slightly smaller at 45mm, and has a series of white
submarginal spots on the underside hindwings.
The
insect illustrated is the subspecies
pisonis,
which occurs throughout the Amazonian regions of Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. Other
subspecies occur in Costa Rica, Colombia and Venezuela.
Habitats
The butterfly is found in wet primary rainforest habitats at elevations between
about 200-800m.
Lifecycle
The following applies in general to Itaballia,
although I have no data specific to pandosia
:
The
eggs are yellow, and laid singly under the leaves of
Capparis
( Capparidaceae ). The
larvae are typically green with yellow and blue tubercles.
The
chrysalis is whitish and adorned with black spikes on the back. It is formed on
a mat of silk spun on the upper surface of
Capparis
leaves.
Adult behaviour
Males
appear to be territorial, as they are usually seen singly,
although other males are invariably present in the vicinity,
dotted along the length of a forest trail at intervals of about 50
metres. They tend to spend several minutes at a time perched on
low foliage growing along narrow but fairly well lit trails,
typically within a few metres of riverbanks. They generally prefer
the shade of the forest understorey but occasionally visit sunlit river beaches to imbibe mineralised moisture.
The butterflies
are nervous, and if disturbed they fly quickly to resettle on
another nearby leaf, usually higher up, but always within 3 metres
of ground level. Continued disturbance simply causes them to
repeat the process endlessly, and often results in them eventually
returning to their original perching place. This habit is very
reminiscent of the behaviour of certain Ithomiines.
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