Butterflies of the
Amazon and Andes
Lesbia Clouded Yellow
Colias lesbia
FABRICIUS, 1775
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily - COLIADINAE
Colias lesbia meieri, male, Shismay, Peruvian Andes �
Adrian Hoskins
Introduction
Butterflies in the
subfamily
Coliadinae, which include the Brimstones, Sulphurs, Grass Yellows
and Clouded Yellows, are found in all parts of the world, and total
about 300 species. Most are migratory in behaviour -
Colias crocea for example migrates each
summer from north Africa to England, and
Phoebis agarithe migrates seasonally from the Amazon lowlands
to moderate altitudes in the Andes.
Colias lesbia is one
of several Clouded Yellow species which breed at high altitudes in
the Andes, and is also migratory in behaviour, crossing seasonally
from north to south along the Andean range, and also from the
Pacific slope to the eastern Andes.
The butterfly occurs from Colombia to Chile and
Argentina.
Colias lesbia meieri, male, Shismay, Peruvian Andes �
Adrian Hoskins
Habitats
This species breeds on grasslands and lightly grazed pastures at
elevations of between 2500-4000m. These high altitude habitats are
above the cloud line and bathed in warm sunshine throughout most of
the year. Daytime temperatures can be as high as 25�C, but can fall
to below freezing point at night.
Lifecycle
The
eggs of Colias species are typically
bottle-shaped, ribbed vertically, in most species are creamy yellow
or pale green when first laid, later becoming orange or dark
crimson. They are nearly always laid singly, on the leaves of the
larval foodplants.
The
caterpillars are typically green, with a white or yellow lateral
line that is sometimes edged with by a series or black or pinkish
dashes. The spiracles are usually highlighted in yellow or orange.
Colias lesbia has
been observed ovipositing on alfalfa ( lucerne )
Medicago in the Urubamba valley in
Peru. This is a fodder crop alien to Peru. The natural foodplant is
likely to be a related leguminous plant, e.g. some North American
Colias species feed on
Lotus, Vicia,
Trifolium and
Astragalus.
The
chrysalises of Colias are typically
green or straw coloured, and fixed vertically to a stem by the
cremaster and a silken girdle.
Adult behaviour
The adults are extremely mobile and
usually seen as wandering singletons, but they can be found in
colonies of several dozen individuals at their breeding sites.
Males
sometimes settle as damp mud to imbibe mineralised moisture.
They patrol back and forth across their grassy habitats in search of
potential mates, interrupting their search periodically to nectar at
tall "ox-eye" daises, or to rest on bare ground. They repeat this
cycle of searching, feeding and resting continually throughout the
morning, but tend to disappear from view by mid-afternoon.
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