Page 88 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Hesperiidae
DISTRIBUTION The Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia
HABITAT Humid Andean cloud forests, especially where bamboo abounds
HOST PLANTS Bamboo (Chusquea spp.)
NOTE Skipper caterpillar that has unusually weak frass-throwing skills
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but unlikely to become endangered

ADULT WINGSPAN
1⁷∕₁₆–1½ in (36–38 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1¹∕₁₆–1³∕₁₆ in (27–30 mm)
FALGA JECONIA
FALGA JECONIA
86
(BUTLER, 1870)

Like the larvae of other skippers, the caterpillars of Falga jeconia
build and inhabit tentlike shelters made from their host plant
leaves. The larvae use their anal comb to fling frass away from

their leafy abodes—as a form of shelter sanitation and possibly

Actual size to put predators off the scent. The only detailed natural history
study of F. jeconia found that, although the caterpillars have
weak frass-throwing abilities, they are found almost exclusively
over mountain streams. The fascinating possibility that this
species uses mountain streams as their natural sewer system
has yet to be explored.

The natural histories of the three additional species included
within the genus Falga are completely unknown, and the yellow
and black adults are generally poorly represented in collections.
Indeed, even at locations where their caterpillars may be found
by the thousands, adults are rarely seen, although the reasons
for this are poorly understood.

The Falga jeconia caterpillar has a cream or
ivory-colored head with contrasting red-brown
mouthparts and blackish stemmata. The sides
of the head are sometimes washed with reddish
brown. The body often appears greenish due to
ingested plant material being visible through the
transparent skin; otherwise, it is whitish or yellow
white. The entire body is sparsely covered with
short, pale golden setae.