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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Cupavia Skipper
Dalla cupavia
MABILLE, 1898
Family -
HESPERIIDAE
subfamily -
HETEROPTERINAE
Tribe -
Dalla
cupavia, male, Manu cloudforest, 1500m, Peru
Introduction
The
Chequered Skipper ( aka Arctic Skipper )
Carterocephalus palaemon
is one of only a handful of species in the subfamily Heteropterinae which occur
in the northern hemisphere. The remaining 140 species, including the 95 which
make up the genus
Dalla,
are exclusively neotropical in distribution.
The
various Dalla
species have several characteristics in common - they all have the same wing
shape, and enlarged and hooked antennae clubs. In the majority of species the
upperside wings are blackish brown, marked with small golden-yellow spots on the
forewings, and with a single larger spot on the hindwings. The upperside pattern
is repeated on the underside, but in more subdued tones of mid-brown and creamy
yellow.
Dalla
cupavia is found in
Peru and Bolivia.
Habitats
This species inhabits Andean cloudforests at elevations between about
1200-2000m. It is restricted to the eastern slopes of the Andes.
Lifecycle
I have no data relating
to the early stages of any
Dalla
species, but it is likely that the lifecycle bears similarities with Carterocephalus.
If this is the case, the eggs are probably globular, pale in colour, and laid
singly on grass blades. The larvae are likely to be green, and marked along the
back and sides with fine dark or pale lines. They almost certainly construct
nests made by rolling a grass blade into a tube, bound together with silk. The
pupae are likely to be formed within a tent of leaves.
Adult behaviour
In flight the
butterflies can easily be mistaken for large flies - the flight is
very rapid, zigzagging and buzzing about just above the surface of
the ground.
Males of various
Dalla species often congregate at damp
soil, particularly around muddy ditches where there is a mass of
dead rotting vegetation. They filter-feed, continually sucking up
water with the proboscis,
extracting dissolved minerals, and expelling the water in a jet
from the anus. On other occasions the ejected water is dropped
onto the substrate, and the proboscis curled underneath the body
so that the liquid can be re-imbibed and further minerals
extracted.
When feeding in
ditches, the wings are usually held partly open, but when settled
on hot paths the butterflies close their wings as a means of
regulating their body temperatures while feeding.
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