Andronymus hero Evans, 1937

Cock, Matthew J. W. & Congdon, Colin E., 2013, Observations on the Biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera). Part 5. Hesperiinae incertae sedis: Dicotyledon Feeders, Zootaxa 3724 (1), pp. 1-85 : 42-45

Andronymus hero Evans, 1937

This species is known from Sierra Leone (type locality) to western Tanzania and northern Zambia. Larsen (2005, in prep.) discusses the colour variation in the hind wing markings of this species. Yellow tinted forms matching the type are generally found in the western part of the range from Senegal to Cote d’Ivoire, and pure white forms (marcus Usher, 1980, type locality Cameroon) are normal east of Ghana, whereas both forms occur together in Ghana. At present these are treated as forms, possibly subspecies, of A. hero , so a comparison of the early stages between the two regions may throw light on this relationship. MJWC has reared it from Côte d’Ivoire (88/206) and TCEC from western Tanzania ( Figure 46.1 ).

Food plants

Vuattoux (1999) reports rearing 19 adults in Côte d’Ivoire, of which 13 were reared from Combretum cuspidatum (Combretaceae) on the banks of the Bandama River, and the remainder from Anthonotha macrophylla (3), A. crassifolia (2) ( Fabaceae , Caesalpinioideae ) and an unidentified plant (1). MJWC identified this material, and retained some voucher papered specimens, which were spread and re-examined for the current work. Of the three male vouchers for Andronymus hero , one reared from Anthonotha sp. is A. caesar caesar , another reared from Anthonotha sp. is Andronymus helles Evans and the third, reared from C. cuspidatum , is the white form of A. hero . Based on these voucher specimens, Anthonotha sp. is a new food plant record for A. caesar caesar and A. helles , and the records of A. hero from Anthonotha spp. should be considered unconfirmed, pending re-examination of the other reared specimens.

MJWC has reared the western population of Andronymus hero from Combretum aphanopetalum (MJWC 321) in Côte d’Ivoire (88/206) and TCEC has reared the eastern population from succulent young leaves of an unidentified Combretum sp. Kasye Forest, Kigoma, Tanzania.

Leaf shelters

The final instar caterpillar of the Côte d’Ivoire collection made a simple shelter by rolling one edge of a leaf under, with feeding to the midrib basal to this. The shelter was held open in position with two strands of silk.

Ovum

The ovum ( Figure 46.2 ) is similar to that of A. caesar . One observed in Côte d’Ivoire was laid on the leaf upper surface, 10mm from the leaf tip.

Caterpillar

The mature caterpillar from Côte d’Ivoire (88/206) measured 26mm; head widest at base, indent at vertex, 2.8 x 2.9mm wide x high; marked in yellow and black on shades of brown ( Figure 47 ); body greenish white with waxy bloom especially on A7–8; subdorsal markings on A2–7 appear to be due to patches of transparent cuticle with no wax bloom: A2, A7 two small spots (<< 1mm) with scattered adjacent dots; A3–6 three adjacent spots of about 0.5 mm, with scattered adjacent dots; scattered dots dorsolaterally on A3–7; one of two caterpillars had a faint darker dorsal line.

The final instar of the material from Tanzania ( Figure 48 ) is clearly very similar, but the head markings are paler yellow or white; the brown lateral line from vertex laterally on head is simple in the Côte d’Ivoire material, but has a branch running from near the apex to the ventral posterior margin; the subdorsal markings are variably arranged around 1–3 spots on each segment. More material would need to be examined to see if these differences are consistent.

Pupa

The Côte d’Ivoire pupa is shown in Figure 49.1 , and that from Tanzania in Figure 49.2 . The shelters are similar, and resemble those of A. caesar . The markings of both are similar, and resemble those of A. caesar . We do not know whether the striking difference in ground colour is significant—green in Côte d’Ivoire and orange in Tanzania —although it is beyond the differences we expect during normal development, more material would be needed to assess the constancy of this character. It should be borne in mind that the exposed pupae of many butterflies, including Papilionidae , Pieridae and Nymphalidae , can be dimorphic or polymorphic in colour and pattern, and this has been associated with the colour of their background and exposure to light, based on the pioneering work of Poulton (1887, 1892), revisited by recent workers (e.g. Hazel et al. 1998, Stefanescu 2004). We are not aware of any work in this respect on the pupae of Hesperiidae , but it would only apply to the relatively few species whose pupae are formed in exposed situations, as is the case with Acleros and Andronymus spp.

Discussion

The early stages of the two populations are very similar, but the differences are inadequate to strongly support any hypotheses concerning relatedness. If the differences noted are consistent, this would support at least separate subspecies. The early stages are also similar to those of A. caesar , whereas those of A. marina treated below are very different.

Figures

FIGURE 46. Adult and ovum of Andronymus hero, collected on Combretum sp., Kasye Forest, Kigoma, western Tanzania, TCEC. 1, adult, emerged 15 Apr 1994; 2, ovum, 25 Mar 1994.

FIGURE 47. Final instar caterpillar of Andronymus hero western population, collected on Combretum aphanopetalum, Fôret de Yapo, Côte d’Ivoire, 4 Dec 1988; photographed 6 Dec; pupated 9 Dec; 26mm; 88/206. 1, dorsolateral view; 2, detail of head anterolateral view.

FIGURE 48. Final instar caterpillar of Andronymus hero eastern population, collected 25 Mar 1994 on Combretum sp., Kasye Forest, Kigoma, western Tanzania; photographed 2 Apr 1994; TCEC. 1, dorsal view with head in anterofrontal view; 2, dorsal view with head in dorsolateral view.

FIGURE 49. Pupa of Andronymus hero. 1, western population, collected as caterpillar on Combretum aphanopetalum, Fôret de Yapo, Côte d’Ivoire, 4. Dec 1988; pupated 9 Dec; photographed 13 Dec; eclosed 26–27 Dec; 26mm; 88/206; dorsolateral view; 2, eastern population, collected 25 Mar 1994 on Combretum sp., Kasye Forest, Kigoma, western Tanzania; photographed 2 Apr 1994; TCEC.