Immature stages of Ebusus ebusus ebusus (Cramer, 1780) in the Peruvian Amazon (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Hesperiinae)

Abstract

We here report for the first time the complete immature life cycle of a Neotropical skipper butterfly, Ebusus ebusus ebusus (Cramer, 1780), with a report of a new natural hostplant based on a single individual reared at Finca Las Piedras (Madre de Dios, Peru). An egg obtained in nature passed through four larval instars and reached the adult stage, feeding on a palm species identified as Mauritia flexuosa L.f. (Arecaceae: Calamoideae). We provide images of each life stage including illustrations of head capsules and larval shelter structures, as well as information on the duration of the stages.