On the Life Cycle and Natural History ofHymenitis Nero(Lepidoptera: Ithomiinae)in Costa Rica

摘要

A knowledge of life cycle and natural history are often importantprerequisites to studies of population biology in butterflies. Althoughstudies on the systematics and broad distribution patterns of thatfamiliar New World Tropical group, the Ithomiinae, have beenconducted (Seitz, 194; Fox, 1956; Fox, 1968), a lot remains tobe known about the biology of many species in Central America.This is surprising in light of the considerable interest in these butterfliesas members of mimicry complexes. In this spirit, this papersummarizes life cycle and natural history data on a clear wing ithoreiineHymenitis nero(Hewitson) (Nymphalidae: Ithomiinae) inCosta Rica. Similar studies of several other sympatric ithomiineshave either been completed (Young, in prep.) or begun, as a preliminarystep towards understanding the local patterns of diversityof this family in selected tropical plant communities.