Page 250 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Nymphalidae
DISTRIBUTION Eastern Andean slopes, from Colombia to Bolivia
HABITAT Interior of humid, montane cloud forests, generally at
3,950–8,900 ft (1,200-2,700 m) elevation
HOST PLANTS Drymonia spp.
NOTE Simply patterned caterpillars that have been reared few times
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but not considered threatened

ADULT WINGSPAN
3⅜–3¾ in (85–95 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1 ⁄ –2 in (40–50 mm)
MEGOLERIA ORESTILLA
MEGOLERIA ORESTILLA
248
(HEWITSON, 1867)

Megoleria orestilla caterpillars hatch from yellowish-white,
ribbed eggs, shaped like an elongated barrel, that are laid singly
or in small groups of five to eight, usually on the underside
of host plant leaves. The larvae hatch together and feed in a
characteristic manner, tending to eat channels and small holes
near the end of the leaf, causing it to droop, which helps conceal
them. When fully developed, the caterpillar forms a mottled,
pale green pupa, oddly bent in shape and suspended from a leaf.
From oviposition to eclosion takes around 70 to 80 days.

Although it is not known with certainty, these slow-moving
caterpillars are likely chemically defended against attacks by
vertebrate predators. Nevertheless, rearing projects in eastern
Ecuador have found them to frequently fall prey to several types
of parasitic wasps and flies. Like most other related species,
adults of Megoleria orestilla are slow, floppy fliers—another
indicator that they are likely chemically defended. The genus
Megoleria belongs to the subfamily Ithomiinae of so-called
clearwing butter ies.

Actual size
The Megoleria orestilla caterpillar is dark
green, but grayish green dorsally, and has
a broad, dirty-yellow stripe laterally spanning
the spiracular area. The anterior thoracic
segments are washed with grayish white
and the true legs are shiny black. The pale
reddish-brown head capsule is round and
shiny with black stemmata.