Page 68 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World
P. 68
BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS
FAMILY Hesperiidae
DISTRIBUTION From Mexico south through Central America and most of the
Caribbean; South America, south to northern Argentina
HABITAT Lowland humid forests, forest edges, and adjacent second growth,
and gardens around human dwellings
HOST PLANTS Various species of cultivated and wild Citrus spp., and species
of the closely related genus Zanthoxylum
NOTE Striped caterpillar often seen feeding on Citrus trees in gardens
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but unlikely to become endangered
ADULT WINGSPAN
2–2⅜ in (50–60 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1⁵∕₁₆–1½ in (33–38 mm)
ACHLYODES BUSIRUS
GIANT SICKLEWING
66
(CRAMER, 1779)
Like most skippers, the caterpillars of Giant Sicklewings build
leaf shelters and use an anal comb to forcibly expel frass from
their anus and away from their shelters. Early shelters are made
with a triangular flap excised from the edge of a leaf, while
the larger caterpillars pull the surfaces of two adjacent leaves
together to form a pocket. Newly hatched caterpillars do not
leave their shelters, but instead feed on the surface of the leaf
inside their shelter, leaving the dorsal leaf cuticle intact to create
small “windows.” The caterpillars pupate inside their last larval
shelter, and the dark brown chrysalis is covered with a fine,
white, waxy powder.
The scientific species name is a reference to King Busiris,
a figure from Greek and Egyptian mythology, who was,
by some accounts, slain by Heracles shortly after he escaped
bondage in the king’s dungeon. Adult butterflies are fast fliers
and very wary as they land, with wings spread on the ground,
probing the soil for minerals.
Actual size The Giant Sicklewing caterpillar is deep
maroon purple in ground color, with white
and yellow stripes transversing the body
along most of its length. The head is roughly
heart-shaped and strongly rugose. It is dark
brown near the apex, merging into black
around the clypeus and below.
