Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Möschler's Tufted Skipper
Nisoniades rubescens
MÖSCHLER, 1877
Family - HESPERIIDAE
subfamily -
PYRGINAE
Tribe - PYRGINI
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Nisoniades rubescens,
female, Tingo Maria, Peru |
Introduction
The
tribe Pyrgini
are found
throughout the world in all habitats. In the neotropical region there no less
than 83 genera, and about 540 described species. Unfortunately there are no
illustrated reference works which cover the entire fauna, so identifying many of
them is often very difficult.
The suffused but distinct markings,
and the 3 whitish spots near the acute apex clearly identify the illustrated butterfly
as a member of the genus Nisoniades, but with 33
species in the genus, most of which are very similar in appearance, determining
the identity of a species from a photograph is not always easy. I'm fairly
confident however in my determination of the illustrated butterfly as being a
male of rubescens.
It should be noted that there is
another neotropical skipper genus with an almost identical name -
Niconiades ( Hesperiinae ).
Nisoniades rubescens
is distributed from Mexico to
Bolivia and northern Argentina.
Nisoniades rubescens,
male, Mariposas, Satipo, Peru
Habitats
This species is found in tropical and subtropical evergreen rainforest at
altitudes between about 200-1400m.
Lifecycle
I have no information regarding Nisoniades,
but
Pyrgine butterflies typically lay their eggs singly on either
the upperside or underside of leaves. The larvae are usually
dull green or brownish, with thin longitudinal lines along the
back and sides, and with black shiny heads. Most feed on low
growing herbaceous 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
This
butterfly, and other Nisoniades
species, are generally encountered as solitary males, which tend
to be seen basking on the foliage of shrubs, or imbibing
mineralised moisture from river sandbanks - often in the company
of
Ebrietas anacreon, Gorgopas trochilus,
Antigonus nearchus and other
Pyrgine skippers.
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