Celaenorrhinus, Hubner, 1819

COCK, MATTHEW J. W. & CONGDON, T. COLIN E., 2011, Observations on the biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera) principally from Kenya. Part 3. Pyrginae: Celaenorrhinini, Zootaxa 3033 (1), pp. 1-67 : 35

Celaenorrhinus discussion

We have shown that for those African species for which the early stages are now known, the ova, caterpillars and the shelters that they make are generally rather similar. The ova are laid on the leaf under surface; they are close to rounded, rather smooth, with numerous weakly defined ribs. The stage 1 shelter is generally a one-cut shelter made in the mid lamina, while the stage 2 shelter is either a larger one-cut shelter, or a triangular two-cut shelter. In the final instar, the caterpillars have a broad, rounded head although the apices may be pronounced, deeply and broadly indent at the vertex, and rugose, often with irregular reticulate ridges, and with small short pale, stalked, stellate setae. The caterpillar body appears smooth, but has scattered very short, pale, stalked stellate setae. Although some caterpillars may be distinctive, e.g. C. humbloti , on the whole they do not provide good diagnostic features for species or species groups.

In contrast, the pupae are very diverse, and at least three groups are recognisable at present: (1) brown, with three cephalic projections, no wax; (2) green, no frontal projection, very long proboscis sheath, no wax; and (3) green, with a short blunt frontal projection, covered with white wax. Further studies of life histories of this genus should pay particular attention to the features of the pupae to assess this preliminary grouping.