Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Gyas Jewelmark
Sarota gyas
CRAMER, 1775
Family - RIODINIDAE
subfamily -
RIODININAE
Tribe - HELICOPINI
Sarota gyas, Satipo, Peru ( male on left )
Introduction
The
Sarota Jewelmarks are possibly the
cutest butterflies in the world. They have a very rapid and
erratic flight. When seen buzzing about in the early morning
they can easily be mistaken for small flies. Eventually
they settle however and reveal themselves as
creatures of exquisite beauty, with bright orange undersides
streaked with metallic silver; and cute little furry legs !
The genus
Sarota was
reviewed in 1998 by Jason Hall, who recognises a total of 20 species,
found variously from Mexico to Bolivia, with the highest
concentration in Ecuador. It has been estimated that certain locations along the base of the eastern Andes each hold up to 15 species.
Most of them are extremely rare and
elusive - so much so that only that even the most experienced
observers rarely manage to see more than half a dozen species in
a lifetime.
Both sexes of all
Sarota species are characterised by
having dull blackish or brownish uppersides which in some species
are marked with suffused whitish spots. The undersides are
reddish orange, marked with metallic silver streaks and lines,
small black spots, and yellow margins. Other
Sarota characteristics include disproportionately long
antennae in relation to wing size, and furry legs.
Identifying the
individual species is fraught with difficulty, as there are only minor differences in the patterns of several species that often fly together in the same area. Furthermore there is altitudinal, geographical and individual variation
between adults of any given species.
Sarota gyas can easily be confused
with acantus,
myrtea and miranda, but can
be distinguished from them by comparing the configuration of the
silver / black markings, the wing shape, and the colour of the
forelegs. In gyas males the
forelegs are cream, whereas in other species they are blackish.
Sarota gyas is distributed from Colombia to Peru
and south west Brazil ( Mato Grosso ).
Habitats
Most Sarota species found in rainforest
habitats below 1000m, although at least one is found as high as 1700m in the
eastern Andes. Sarota gyas is found at
altitudes between 0-800m. Populations are highly localised - often limited to a
tiny corner of a forest.
Lifecycle
Females oviposit on mosses and liverworts ( Lejuniaceae ) that grow as epiphytes
on old leaves of various understorey shrubs. The tiny eggs are white, globular
and pitted like a sponge. The larvae when fully grown are protected by dense coat of
whitish setae. If a larva is molested by an ant the setae break off and become
lodged in the ant's mandibles, preventing attack. Larvae feed solitarily, and rest underneath leaves. The pupa is formed within a rolled leaf, lined with loose hairs.
Adult behaviour
Males
perch in small groups on low vegetation at forest edges or along
streams, and are normally only seen between about 0630 - 0830hrs.
They often rest for long periods, but there are periodic bursts of activity,
typically instigated by the intrusion of a fly or another
Sarota. All such intruders are
aggressively challenged, Often several
Sarota males will become engaged in a frenetic aerial
dog-fight, spiralling upwards and zigzagging low over the ground
before returning to their original perching places. Sometimes males of several
Sarota species will perch in the same
corner of a glade to await passing females.
When at rest,
both sexes normally hold their wings erect, but very slightly apart.
They do however occasionally bask with the wings held half open,
if conditions are warm but slightly overcast.
Both sexes sometimes nectar at Croton or
Alibertia, and have been recorded
visiting extrafloral nectaries of plants in the families Araceae,
Fabaceae and Tiliaceae.
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