Oviposition of Minstrellus grandis (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae) in a harmful ant-plant symbiosi

ABSTRACT

The oviposition behavior of the rare butterfly Minstrellus grandis (Callaghan, 1999) (Lepidoptera Riodinidae) is recorded for the first time. Two females laid eggs on the old leaves of an unidentified Triplaris sp. (Polygonaceae), a myrmecophytic plant typically known as 'Triplaria' or 'novice' tree, inhabited by aggressive 'taxi' ants of the genus Pseudomyrmex sp. (Hymenoptera Formicidae). These observations suggest that M. grandis caterpillars live associated with one of the most harmful types of Amazon ant-plant symbiosis. (AU)