Immature stages of the Neotropical skipper <i>Saliana longirostris</i> (Sepp, [1840]) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)

Abstract

The early stages of the hesperiid butterfly Saliana longirostris (Sepp) are described. The host plant in nature is Heliconia velloziana (Heliconiaceae). The egg is hemispherical, pale pink, and has more than 60 vertical ribs. The body of the larva is smooth in all five of its instars. The last instar has a plump body and is salmon-pink in color, variegated with many circular dark markings, and the head is rusty brown, ellipsoidal, and with a pair of rounded bumps on the vertex. The pupa is elongated, without spines, bearing a long, thin, anteriorly-directed projection on the head and a long proboscis sheath longer than body. The immature stages are similar to those of other Calpodina, and the plump body of the later instars is similar to those of other skipper species that feed on host plants with large and soft leaves. The relationship between larval body shape and host plant use in Calpodina is discussed.