Page 205 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Nymphalidae
DISTRIBUTION Central America, from Honduras to Panama; South America,
south to Peru, Bolivia, and southern Brazil
HABITAT Humid, mid-elevation subtropical to temperate cloud forests
HOST PLANTS Alchornea spp.
NOTE Caterpillar with metallic highlights that make it resemble
sparkling dew
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but unlikely to become endangered

ADULT WINGSPAN
2¾–3¾ in (70–95 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2 ⁄ –3 in (65–75 mm)
CATONEPHELE CHROMIS
SISTER-SPOTTED BANNER 203

(DOUBLEDAY, [1848])

The eggs of the Sister-spotted Banner are laid singly on fresh
leaves of the host plant, and young larvae build a frass chain on
which to rest. Older larvae rest on the upper surface of the leaf
with their long head horns pressed tightly to the leaf, waving
them wildly back and forth over their body if disturbed. Such

a defense is presumably e ective at deterring the parasitic ies
and wasps that commonly attack this species in some parts of

its range. After the fth, nal instar, larvae pupate on the dorsal
surface of a leaf, the emerald-green chrysalis resembling a leafy
portion of the host plant. The Sister-spotted Banner caterpillar is
bright emerald green with three rows of
small, caramel-orange spots along the
As is the case in most other species of Catonephele, C. chromis dorsum, from each of which arises a three-
adults are sexually dimorphic. The yellow-striped females to ve-branched scolus. The bright yellow
head is topped by two long, slender, black
are easily attracted to fruits placed on the ground and so are horns with yellow, clubbed tips, and greenish
at their bases, and decorated with two or three
more common in collections. Males appear to prefer to fly whorls of sharp spines along their length.
in the canopy, guarding sunny perches near gaps or at the
forest edge. A versatile species, the Sister-spotted Banner can
be found from nearly sea level to above 7,875 ft (2,400 m) in
some parts of the Andes.

Actual size