Immature stages of the Selaginella-feeding Euptychia mollina (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) from the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

The present paper describes the immature stages of the Neotropical satyrine butterfly Euptychiamollina (Hübner, [1813]) from the Brazilian Amazon Forest. Eggs were laid singly on the under surface of the fronds of its host plant, Selaginella sp. (Bryophyta: Selaginellaceae). Larvae are solitary in all instars, presenting a color pattern and shape that make them cryptic on its host plant. The pupa is short, smooth and varies from rusty brown to green. Despite the lack of a close phylogenetic relationship, larvae of Euptychia are very similar to those of the paleotropical satyrines Ragadia and Acrophtalmia, suggesting that camouflage is likely to be one of the factors explaining the similarities among them.

Combining target enrichment and Sanger sequencing data to clarify the systematics of the diverse Neotropical butterfly subtribe Euptychiina (Nymphalidae, Satyrinae)

“…Adult males of some species exhibit perching behaviour, often with several individuals in close proximity, mostly in light gaps or sunflecks and often on hilltops. Although most known host plants for Euptychiina are either bamboo or other grasses in the family Poaceae, larvae of Euptychia notably feed instead on some species of Selaginella (Lycopsida), as well as a single record utilizing Neckeropsis (Neckeraceae) (Brévignon, 2008; Freitas, Mota, Barbosa, & Carreira, 2019; Hamm & Fordyce, 2016; Singer et al, 1971; Singer & Mallet, 1986).…”

“…Only a subset of species was included here, and several taxonomic changes, in addition to the description of over a dozen species, will be made in a forthcoming revision of the genus, and thus the genus is estimated to include more than 50 species (Nakahara et al, in preparation). Members of Euptychia are relatively Although most known host plants for Euptychiina are either bamboo or other grasses in the family Poaceae, larvae of Euptychia notably feed instead on some species of Selaginella (Lycopsida), as well as a single record utilizing Neckeropsis (Neckeraceae) (Brévignon, 2008;Freitas, Mota, Barbosa, & Carreira, 2019;Hamm & Fordyce, 2016;Singer et al, 1971;Singer & Mallet, 1986).…”

“…Freitas & Peña, 2006; Nakahara, Lamas, et al, 2019; Nakahara, Rodríguez‐Melgarejo, et al, 2022; Nakahara, Zacca, et al, 2018, 2019; Peña & Lamas, 2005; Willmott et al, 2019; Zacca et al, 2013; Zacca, Casagrande, et al, 2018; Zacca, Casagrande, Mielke, Huertas, Barbosa, Freitas, et al, 2020; Zacca, Casagrande, Mielke, Huertas, Espeland, Freitas, et al, 2020; Zacca, Paluch, et al, 2017), descriptions of life histories (e.g. Baine et al, 2019; Corahua‐Espinoza et al, 2023; Corahua‐Espinoza, Nakahara, Kabir, et al, 2022; Corahua‐Espinoza, Nakahara, Shellman, et al, 2022; Cosmo et al, 2014; Freitas, 2004, 2017, 2022; Freitas, Barbosa, & Carreira, 2021; Freitas, Barbosa, & Marín, 2016; Freitas, Carreira, Santos, & Barbosa, 2016; Freitas, Mota, Barbosa, & Carreira, 2019; Freitas, Rosa, et al, 2018; Freitas, Rosa, & Kaminski, 2021; Hurtado et al, 2021; Kaminski & Freitas, 2008; Nakahara, Hoffman, et al, 2020; See et al, 2018; Tejeira et al, 2021), and papers addressing the higher level phylogenetic relationships, using both morphology (Marín et al, 2017) and molecular (Espeland et al, 2019a; Murray & Prowell, 2005; Peña et al, 2010) datasets. These phylogenetic studies revealed a number of cases of generic paraphyly or polyphyly, implying the need for extensive revision of the generic classification.…”

“…Nakahara, Rodríguez-Melgarejo, et al, 2022;, 2019Peña & Lamas, 2005;Willmott et al, 2019;Zacca, Casagrande, et al, 2018;Zacca, Casagrande, Mielke, Huertas, Espeland, Freitas, et al, 2020;Zacca, Paluch, et al, 2017), descriptions of life histories (e.g. Baine et al, 2019;Corahua-Espinoza et al, 2023;Corahua-Espinoza, Nakahara, Kabir, et al, 2022;Cosmo et al, 2014;Freitas, 2004Freitas, , 2017Freitas, , 2022Freitas, Barbosa, & Carreira, 2021;Freitas, Carreira, Santos, & Barbosa, 2016;Freitas, Mota, Barbosa, & Carreira, 2019;Freitas, Rosa, et al, 2018;Freitas, Rosa, & Kaminski, 2021;Hurtado et al, 2021;Kaminski & Freitas, 2008;Nakahara, Hoffman, et al, 2020;See et al, 2018;Tejeira et al, 2021), and papers addressing the higher level phylogenetic relationships, using both morphology (Marín et al, 2017) and molecular (Espeland et al, 2019a;Murray & Prowell, 2005;Peña et al, 2010) datasets.…”

One side makes you taller: a mushroom–eating butterfly caterpillar (Lycaenidae) in Costa Rica

“…The seminal paper on insect-plant coevolution (Ehrlich and Raven 1965) summarized the wide variety of Angiosperms and Gymnosperms that butterfly caterpillars eat. In the New World, however, a few species are predacious (Youngsteadt and DeVries 2005;Mota et al 2020), several species eat lycopsids/mosses (Singer et al 1971;Singer and Mallet 1986;Hamm and Fordyce 2016;Freitas et al 2019), and about 200 species feed on leaf litter detritus (Hall and Harvey 2001;Duarte and Robbins 2010). Despite the popular cultural association of caterpillars with mushrooms in Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, no New World butterfly caterpillars have been reported to eat fungus.…”