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Butterflies of
the Amazon and Andes
Acraeid Mimic
Satyr
Lymanopoda acraeida
BUTLER, 1868
Family -
NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
SATYRINAE
Tribe - SATYRINI
subtribe -
PRONOPHILINA
Lymanopoda
acraeida malia, Manu cloudforest, 1600m, Peru
Introduction
There are 1100
known species of Satyrinae in the neotropical region. About 570 of these are
placed in the
subtribe Pronophilina - a diverse group of high altitude
cloudforest butterflies, all of which are confined to the neotropical region. The vast majority
are found only in the Andes, but 4 species are known from
the Atlantic cloudforests of Brazil, and there are a further 6 species that are endemic to Guatemala, Costa
Rica or Mexico. More oddly there is one genus
Calisto
that is found exclusively on the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Hispaniola.
The
genus
Lymanopoda is comprised of 57 small species. Many have small white spots arranged in a characteristic
undulating line across the wings. In some species such as
labda
and
lebbaea
there are beautiful marbled white markings on the underside hindwings.
Almost all Lymanopoda species are restricted to the Andes,
the only exceptions being cinna
which is Guatemalan and euopis
which is Costa Rican.
Lymanopoda acraeida
was formerly placed in the genus
Trophonina.
but phylogenetic analysis has resulted in its transferral to Lymanopoda.
The
underside wings of this species exhibit a remarkable resemblance to
members of the genus
Altinote (
Heliconiinae, tribe Acraeini ).
Lymanopoda acraeida has 3 subspecies, found in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
Lymanopoda
acraeida malia, Manu cloudforest, 1700m, Peru
Habitats
This species breeds in grassy cloudforest habitats at altitudes of about
1400-2500m.
Lifecycle
The lifecycle appears to be unrecorded.
The following
generalisations are applicable to the subtribe Pronophilina and probably also apply to
Lymanopoda:
The
eggs are round, white or pale greenish white, and laid singly on the foodplants or on surrounding vegetation. The
larvae are typically pale brown, marked along the back and sides with narrow dark
stripes, and tapering towards each end. The head is large in
proportion to the body and has two short forward-pointing horns. The tip of the
abdomen is equipped with a pair of caudal prongs which are used to flick the frass away
from the feeding area.
The
larvae of all known Pronophilina feed on
Chusquea
- a genus of bamboo which grows in thickets, mainly along the courses of
streams.
Adult behaviour
Males are usually seen
singly or in two's and three's, imbibing moisture
from damp sand or gravel along roadsides, often in the company of
other Pronophilines.
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