Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Marchall's Andean
White
Hesperocharis
marchallii
GUÉRIN-MÉNEVILLE, 1844
Family -
PIERIDAE
subfamily -
PIERINAE
Tribe -
ANTHOCHARIDINI
Hesperocharis marchallii, male, Manu cloudforest, Peru.
Introduction
The
tribe Anthocharidini, which includes the Orange-tip, Bath White and Dappled
White butterflies of the Palaearctic region, is represented in the neotropics by the genera
Eroessa,
Mathania,
Cunizza and
Hesperocharis.
The
genus Hesperocharis
includes 12 known species, although it is likely that others still remain
to be discovered.
The
uppersides of all species are creamy-white or yellow, usually with the forewing
apex black or brownish. On the undersides, all members of the genus have dark
veins and chevrons similar to those in the illustrated insect, although they
vary in prominence from species to species. The short, white-tipped antennae are also
characteristic of the genus.
Hesperocharis marchallii
occurs in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. Most of the other species are
also Andean, but a few occur in the Cordilleras of Costa Rica, the Sierras of Mexico,
and the Atlantic cloudforests of Brazil.
Habitats
This species inhabits
cloudforests at altitudes between about 1800-2400m.
Lifecycle
I have no data relating
to marchallii but the lifecycle is likely to be
similar to that of Hesperocharis crocea from Costa
Rica : The eggs are laid in
batches on the leaves of Loranthaceae. The larvae, which feed gregariously, are
a dull reddish colour, covered with fine white setae. The chrysalis is mottled
in green, white and brown, and is said to resemble a bird dropping.
Adult behaviour
Males of
marchallii are
usually encountered in one's and two's, settled on wet ground
where streams or runnels ford mountain roads. Females are scarce,
but they are occasionally seen nectaring at
Cavendishia ( Ericaceae ) or Rubus
( Rubiaceae ).
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