Immature stages of the Neotropical skipper <i>Lychnuchoides ozias ozias</i> (Hewitson, 1878) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)

Abstract

The early stages of the hesperiid butterfly Lychnuchoides ozias ozias (Hewitson) are described. The food plant in nature is an unidentified species of Marantaceae (cf. Calathea G. F. W. Meyer). The egg is hemispheric, white, with about 50 vertical ribs. The larva is smooth and goes through five instars during 30 days. The last instar has a plump body, is completely smooth and dark green with a pair of dorsal light markings on T6, the head is dark brown, trapezoidal, with a pair of rounded bumps on the vertex with two pairs of yellow spots (one frontal and one on the bumps on the vertex). The pupa is elongated, without spines, bearing a long, thin, anteriorly-directed projection on the head. The immature stages are similar to those of most Calpodini except for the general body shape, which is similar to Talides Hübner and Saliana Evans and distinct from all other Calpodini genera, whose larvae are elongated and slim. The body shape in Calpodini appears to be associated with host plant use, with plump bodies related to the use of plants with large soft leaves and slender bodies related to the use of plants with narrow and tough leaves or leaflets.