Colobura dirce dirce(Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Larvae DamagingCecropia hololeuca(Rosales: Urticaceae) in the Zona da Mata, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Summary The Atlantic Forest biome includes the middle region of the Zona da Mata (MRZM) in southeastern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Cecropia hololeuca Miq. (Rosales: Urticaceae) is an arboreal plant endemic to Brazil. Species of Colobura Billberg (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) are common in forested habitats in the Neotropical Region. The aims of this study were to report damage by C. dirce dirce L. larvae on C. hololeuca in the MRZM, and to review host plants of Colobura spp. Two hundred fifty-two larvae were found damaging twenty 50 cm tall C. hololeuca plants on the campus of the “Universidade Federal de Vicosa” in Vicosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and brought to the “Laboratorio de Controle Biologico de Insetos (LCBI).” Adults and exuviae of these larvae were deposited at the LCBI and identified in the “Departamento de Zoologia” of the “Universidade Federal do Parana” in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil, as C. dirce dirce. This is the first report of this lepidopteran on C. hololeuca in the MRZM. Seventeen species from 6 p...