Morphology and behavior of the early stages of the skipper, Urbanus esmeraldus, on Urera baccifera, an ant-visited host plant

Autor(es)

Moraes, Alice R. ^[1] ; Greeney, Harold F. ^{[2, 3]} ; Oliveira, Paulo S. ^[4] ; Barbosa, Eduardo P. ^{[4, 1]} ; Freitas, Andre V. L. ^[4]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Programa Posgrad Ecol, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

^[2] Yanayacu Biol Stn, Quito - Ecuador

^[3] Ctr Creat Studies, Quito - Ecuador

^[4] Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Biol Anim, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE; v. 12, APR 12 2012.
• Citações Web of Science: 4

Resumo

The Neotropical genus Urbanus (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) contains around 34 described species, and is widely distributed from the extreme southern United States to Argentina. Here, we describe the larval morphology and behavior of Urbanus esmeraldus (Hubner)(Hesperiidae) in Urera baccifera (Urticaceae), a plant producing food rewards and fleshy fruits that attract ants (including predacious species) in a Brazilian forest. Larvae pass through five instars and construct two kinds of leaf shelters. Experiments with ejected fecal pellets showed that these can serve as cues to ground-dwelling ants that climb onto host plants and potentially attack the larvae. Manipulation with pellets placed at different distances suggests that ejection behavior decreases larval vulnerability to ant predation. Larval preference for mature leaves may be related with increased predation risk at ant-visited young leaves. The study shows that a combination of natural history and experimental data can help understand the life history of a butterfly using a plant with high predation risk. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 98/05101-8 - Lepidoptera do Estado de São Paulo: diversidade, distribuição de recursos e uso para análise e monitoramento ambiental
• Beneficiário: Keith Spalding Brown Junior
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Temático
• Processo FAPESP: 00/01484-1 - Borboletas como indicadores ambientais: monitoramento com Nymphalidae (Eurytelinae e Satyrinae)
• Beneficiário: André Victor Lucci Freitas
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 04/05269-9 - Borboletas da Mata Atlântica: biogeografia e sistemática como ferramentas de conservação de biodiversidade
• Beneficiário: André Victor Lucci Freitas
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Jovens Pesquisadores