Andronymus caesar caesar Fabricius, 1793

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 : 34-36

Andronymus caesar caesar Fabricius, 1793

Food plants

Several food plants were documented in the 1960s: Lecaniodiscus cupanioides (Sapindaceae) in Ghana ( Forsyth 1966), and small numbers of this hesperiid (given as A. philander ) were found at Ibadan on Afrormosia elata in May, on Isoberlinia doka in October, and on Pterocarpus mildbraedii (all Fabaceae ) in November ( Roberts 1969). Subsequently, in Côte d’Ivoire, Vuattoux (1999) reared 30 adults, 18 from the Fabaceae , Berlinia grandiflora and Detarium senegalense , and 12 from the Sapindaceae , Blighia unijugata and B. sapida . MJWC spread and reexamined voucher specimens for his identifications of Vuattoux’s reared Andronymus spp. ; although the vouchers for A. caesar caesar were correctly identified, one voucher for A. hero , reared from Anthonota sp. ( Fabaceae , Caesalpinioideae ), proved to be A. caesar caesar , so this is an additional food plant record for this species.

MJWC found the early stages on the flush growth of a 2m sapling of Deinbollia insignis (Sapindaceae) in a forest clearing at Ibadan, Nigeria (94/111) and (unconfirmed) on B. unijugata (MJWC318) at Adiopodoumé, Côte d’Ivoire (89/201). The following observations are mostly based on the last collection, which unfortunately was parasitized, so that its association with this name is based on the close similarity to subspecies philander and the material of ssp. caesar reared in Nigeria.

Ovum

Ova associated with collection 89/201 on Blighia unijugata in Côte d’Ivoire were 1.1mm in diameter; hemispherical, slightly indented at micropyle; smooth apart from 36–41 very fine ribs; pink, dark pink at micropyle; eclosed ova are white. They were laid on the leaf upper surface about 10mm from the margin.

Leaf shelters

Caterpillars of 10–13mm (n-2 and penultimate instars) made simple one or two cut leaf shelters from the edge of a leaf. Of three shelters observed, two had a cut at each end, while the third had a cut at one end only, and two shelter lids were folded upwards, while a third was folded downwards.

Caterpillar

The n-3 instar head capsule was 0.8 x 1.0mm (n=2) wide x high; widest at base, indent at vertex; dark brown; shiny; faintly reticulate. The n-2 instar caterpillar measured 10mm at the premoult stage; head 1.2 x 1.4mm wide x high (n=2); dark brown as n-3 instar; body shiny, translucent with dark green gut contents visible. The penultimate instar was similar: head 1.8 x 2.0mm (n=1) wide x high; body cuticle was white, more opaque and less shiny; this instar took just 2–3 days. The final instar was not described, but the head capsule was 3.1mm high. The caterpillar reared on Deinbollia insignis in Nigeria (94/111) was photographed ( Figure 38 ). Although the photographs are out of focus, they are included here as they are sufficient to show that the caterpillar is within the range of variation documented for A. caesar philander (below, Figure 44 ). The fully mature caterpillar 94/111A had wax glands ventrolaterally on A1–2 and A7–8, and in a diffuse lateral patch on A2–8.

Pupa

The pupa of 88/201A ( Figure 39 ) measured 17mm; head bulbous; light brown with a weak dark dorsal line dividing anteriorly; darker chevrons dorsally on abdominal segments.

Natural enemies

A tachinid larva emerged from the pupa 89/201C which was collected as penultimate instar caterpillar; it formed a puparium (6.3 x 2.8mm long x widest) but failed to emerge.

Figures

FIGURE 38. Final instar caterpillar of Andronymus caesar caesar collected on Deinbollia insignis, Ibadan, Nigeria, 20 Mar 1994, photographed 22 Mar; 26mm; 94/111B. 1, dorsolateral view; 2, anterolateral view of head.

FIGURE 39. Pupa of Andronymus caesar caesar, collected as penultimate instar caterpillar on Blighia unijugata, Adiopodoumé, Côte d’Ivoire, 28 May 1989; pupated 8 Jun.; photographed 14 Jun; tachinid puparium 15. Jun, 17mm; 89/201C. 1, dorsal view; 2, dorsolateral view; note necrotic patch on ventral T1 due to a tachinid larva.

FIGURE 44. Final instar caterpillar of Andronymus caesar. 1–2, collected on Deinbollia borbonica, 1–2 Apr 1990 on unidentified sapling, Lower Meru Forest; photographed 2 Apr; moulted 4–6 Apr; 18mm; dorsal view, 2 Apr, 90/32A; 2, detail of head, as 1; 3–4, collected on Pericopsis sp., Chivanjee Estate, Tukuyu, Tanzania, 20 Nov 2003, TCEC; 3, dorsal view; 4, dorsolateral view; 5, collected on Pericopsis sp., Kihansi Gorge, Tanzania, 11 Feb 2008 (TCEC).