Post-diapause third instar larvae of Chlosyne acastus sterope from shrub-steppe habitat near Benton City in central Washington were reared to adulthood at 25 ºC on Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Erigeron linearis and a hitherto unrecorded host, Ericameria nauseosa. Larvae developed successfully on all host plants but survival was highest on C. viscidiflorus and E. linearis and lowest on E. nauseosa. Mean larval duration from post-diapause entry into laboratory conditions until pupation was shortest when fed C. viscidiflorus and longest on E. nauseosa or E. linearis. Mean pupal duration was longest on E. linearis and shortest on E. nauseosa and C. viscidiflorus. Mean forewing lengths of adults were shorter when larvae were reared on E. linearis. Ericameria nauseosa is sub-optimal for C. a. sterope in terms of larval survival but produces optimally-sized pupae and adults. Feeding on E. linearis is optimal for survival but slow-developing larvae produce small pupae and adults. Possible fitness implications of this host plant-mediated variation in larval survival, pupal weight, duration and adult size in C. a. sterope are discussed.

Papilio hectorides larvae reared on Piper xylosteoides mostly followed a usual five-instar larval stage, but one third of the individuals underwent a supernumerary molt — the majority of which were male. The smaller size of the second instar indicated that a larva would experience a supernumerary molt. Along their development, larvae that underwent six instars showed smaller increments in head capsule size and body mass at each molt than those that experienced five instars. Nonetheless, six-instar larvae were larger at the onset of the penultimate instar, and also produced larger pupae than five-instar larvae. Adding a sixth instar predictably increased the time spent in the larval stage. A previous study showed that P. xylosteoides is a low quality larval host for P. hectorides compared to three other native plants. As larvae that underwent supernumerary molts produced large pupae, plasticity in instar number seems to allow them to compensate for lower quality food.

A lectotype from the Calkoen collection in Naturalis Biodiversity Center, The Netherlands, is designated for Histioea cepheus cepheus (Erebidae: Arctiinae) and the life history is described from the Brownsberg Nature Reserve, Suriname. A cluster of 26 eggs was observed on Olyra latifolia (Poaceae). The first instar larvae moved off the plant and were reared on Mikania cf. micrantha (Asteraceae). Dense A1 and A7 setal tufts, such as previously found in last instar Holophaea vesta, are present in H. c. cepheus from the fourth instar onwards.

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) barcode sequences revealed a deep genetic divergence (mean uncorrected p-distance = 3.5%) in populations of Codatractus melon (Godman & Salvin) from the northern and southern limits of its distribution in North America (Sonora, Mexico and Costa Rica) suggesting that the taxon is actually comprised of two closely related cryptic species. Male genitalia of C. melon from Sonora were morphologically similar to those from Jalisco, Mexico, and distinct from those of the closely-related C. arizonensis (Skinner) and C. sallyae Warren. Although the description of a new species of the C. melon group would appear warranted, we discuss taxonomic impediments that prohibit us from doing so at this time. We also provide information on the distribution and ecology of the northern population of C. melon. Preliminary barcode evidence is also reviewed which suggests that C. arizonensis may be comprised of more than one species.

Utilization of wing colors in intraspecific communication in butterflies has been widely examined for males, but much less examined for females, and inconsistent results on the female preference for male wing colors have been reported. In the present paper, we report results of examinations of the preference of virgin females for the male wing color of a sexually dichromatic lycaenid, Pseudozizeeria maha. Females were subjected to choice tests between two models that differed in color and were made of butterfly wings or butterfly-shaped pieces of paper. Models were presented with rotating and revolving movements to a female placed in the natural habitat, and the times females stayed near the two models were compared. The females stayed significantly longer at a model made of the blue male wing than at one made of the black female wing, and at a model colored bluish than at any model colored non-bluish. Female choice for the male wing color was confirmed here for the first time in lycaenid butterflies, which supports the idea that conspicuous male colors have evolved and are maintained by female choice.

The Mariana eight-spot butterfly (Hypolimnas octocula marianensis) and the Mariana wandering butterfly (Vagrans egistina) are endemic to the Mariana Islands and both have recently been listed as federally protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. We conducted both targeted surveys and grid transect searches on Guam and targeted surveys across the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota to locate native hostplants, eggs, caterpillars and adults of these rare insects. Despite having a relatively common hostplant, V. egistina was not found during this study, even in places it had last been found. Although various life stages of H. o. marianensis were documented, the hostplants of this species were heavily impacted by grazing of introduced ungulates; only in native limestone forest with jagged tower karst topography, did hostplants persist, and the butterfly with them. The reasons for the disappearance of V. egistina are not clear, but do not appear to be related to hostplant availability. Our surveys suggest that control of invasive ungulates on Guam will be the single most effective conservation action for Mariana eight-spot recovery, and is essential to any chance of long-term persistence for the species there. H. o. marianensis has significant, unoccupied, hostplant patches on the three northern islands (Rota, Tinian, and Saipan) which might be considered as sites for future translocation and reintroduction efforts, in order to reduce the risk of extinction.

The recent discovery of a new Colias species from the central Arctic of Canada, a region with a relatively small, well-studied butterfly fauna, has remained relatively unknown among North American lepidopterists. The status of this species, C. rankinensis Verhulst, as a species distinct from other Arctic Colias has also been treated with skepticism. Colias rankinensis was documented from only a single locality globally, from a region where thousands of Colias specimens were collected during the Canadian Northern Insect Survey in the 1950s, as well as later in the 1980s. Many of these specimens were subsequently examined during the course of revisionary work on the genus Colias in the 1980s. In light of the discovery of C. rankinensis, the identification of central Arctic Colias ‘hecla’ specimens is critically re-examined, revealing that two phenotypes, corresponding to C. rankinensis and C. hecla Lefèbvre, occur sympatrically in the central Arctic. A differential diagnosis, adult illustrations and distribution map of C. rankinensis is provided, and the taxonomies of C. hecla taxa are reviewed.

This work describes the new genus Parasynneuria gen. nov. and its species type P. anae Parra sp. nov. An approach using geometric morphometrics method was used to describe wing shape morphotypes and variation of the specimens studied in their distributional range in Chile. Wing shape differences were quantified in P. anae by means of geometric morphometric tools. This species is geographically distributed in the south of Chile, with individuals present in Concepción, Maullín, Valdivia and Chiloé provinces from where specimens were sampled to model the morphological variation of the wing in the species. The results show significant differences in the multivariate analysis of the wing shape. Phenotypic variations may potentially be environmentally plastic.