Pyrrhiades anchises jucunda (Butler)

Cock, Matthew J. W., 2010, Observations on the biology of Afro-tropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera) principally from Kenya. Part 1. Introduction and Coeliadinae, Zootaxa 2547, pp. 1-63 : 23-24

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.6788694

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1476B03C-FFF9-1B2F-FF13-FD1CBAD5FE90

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Pyrrhiades anchises jucunda (Butler)
status

 

Pyrrhiades anchises jucunda (Butler) ( Figure 12 View FIGURE 12 )

The only confirmed food plant of ssp. jucunda is Acridocarpus orientalis , a small tree in the Malpighiaceae ( Larsen & Larsen 1980; Cock 2010a). Larsen (1983) quotes an early report that Ficus sp. (Moraceae) is a food plant of ssp. jucunda on Socotra, but he considers this likely to be an error and I agree. It has been suggested that in Arabia, it would not be difficult to confuse the two trees in the field in the absence of flowering or fruit (G. Feulner, pers. comm. 2008). The life history is described and illustrated by Cock (2010a), and pictures of the mature caterpillar are included here for comparison ( Figure 12 View FIGURE 12 ).

Discussion

The body markings and colouring of ssp. jucunda are consistent, but the head markings are variable. The caterpillar comes close to Form 1 of ssp. anchises , although the dorsal line and the head spots are weaker. This provides some support for the current treatment of subspecies.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Lepidoptera

Family

Hesperiidae

Genus

Pyrrhiades

Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF