Caligo eurilochus

Caligo eurilochus(Caligo eurilochus)

Phylum —arthropoda
Class —insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family —nymphalidae

Genus –caligo

Appearance

The juveniles are caterpillar like or eruciform and have two red longitudinal stripes running along their white bodies. The green, hairy and flattened larvae are the second instar larvae which are seen during moulting. Their backs have four spines with the end of the abdomen having two processes. The back of the head have four pairs of horns. Later molten phases or instars are brown with six spines instead of four on the back with the final instar reaching up to lengths of 16 cm.

It is a very large butterfly, among the largest in its family, with a wingspan up to 17 centimeters.The upper and underside of the wings vary in color. The underside is colored brown, black and creamy white with a large eye spot resembling that of an

owl on either hind wing.The upper side ranges from orange/yellowish brown in females to greenish blue with thick purplish/ brown black bands bordering in males. Their wings have overlapping, minute scales which are responsible for the color seen as

they create unique patterns.

Habitat

Caligo eurilochushas a distribution ranging from Central America through to

South America at the Amazon River basin.

Behavior

Adults are nocturnal creatures or crepuscular and therefore active mainly at nights and

early morning around dawn. It may show diurnal activity but normally hides well in shaded forest areas (Anywhere Costa Rica, 2014). During the day they can be found on leaves resting on the midrib singularly or in groups. The brown caterpillars, which are of the later instar phases, can be found resting on stems as it provides a degree of camouflage.

Diet

They feed on nectar plants and the juices of fruits which are fermenting. Adults also feed on pineapples, mangos and bananas.

The larvae feed on forest trees and also agricultural crops and can be pests as they are very destructive. The main host plants for caterpillars are Heliconia and banana.

Caligo eurilochushave also been known to feed on carcasses of decaying animals as

well as animals’ waste matter, rotting fruit and tree sap.

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 70 x 70 x 90 cm at the temperature of 26-28 °C.On the underside of the leaves on plants they use for food, the female lays her eggs in small groups or singly.Eggs are white and round. The incubation period is 3-5 days.Caterpillars from the same group hatch at the same time and try to stick together. During the day, they sit on the lower part of the leaf near the vein, and at night they feed. The temperature for keeping is 26-28 °C and humidity is 60-80%. It is better not to transplant caterpillars from one plant to another and put them in a terrarium pot with a plant. The caterpillar develops for 30-50 days. The pupae are beige-yellow, broad, massive, and unadorned except for two small mother-of-pearl spots on either side of the head. The pupa develops for 2-3 weeks. Adult butterflies live up to 2 months.

In captivity

The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours. You can feed the butterflies with an overripe banana, orange, pineapple, mango, or give them a few drops of honey syrup diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:10. You can give them a mixture of overripe banana, yogurt and orange juice.