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Return to Life Cycle Studies of Lower Rio Grande Valley Butterflies
On 11/22/2013 at 1300hrs.,
we were getting weather warnings on the TV about an approaching, strong cold front. Outside temperature was in the 80's
F, the wind was about 5mph, and it was partly cloudy-sunny. I knew I did not have much time left to get in some last
butterflying. Our yard list so far for November was very high I could feel the change in the air, just as I found
a Marius Hairstreak - Rekoa marius flitting around our Duranta - Duranta erecta against the south
side of our house. As I was trying to get a photo of yard-November-list's next butterfly, I noticed she was laying eggs.
She was not taking her time, but was quickly moving around, while she was laying eggs. I did manage to get a photo
and collected a couple of eggs, just before the cold front hit with winds at 30+mph (in a few hours, temperatures in Mission
dropped 30-40 degrees). I brought the eggs inside and placed them in our bug box to start a life cycle
study that lasted into Christmas, when the female Marius Hairstreak emerged. I
had done a Marius study in 2008, but did not detail it enough to get a proper study to publish. This year's butterfly
life cycle tracked closely to the 2008 butterfly, both in size and changes. I caught the
caterpillar eclosing, but Christmas dinner prep made me miss the butterfly's emergence. If we have a butterfly study
with the butterfly about to emerge next Christmas, David gets cereal for dinner, and he makes it himself!
All photos on this site are by Jan Dauphin and are copyright protected
and may not be used or published elsewhere without the permission of Jan Dauphin
Duranta or Golden Dewdrops - Duranta erecta is
non-native to the U.S. and the LRGV (native to the Caribbean and Mexico). Throughout the LRGV, Duranta is found only
occasionally and is used primarily as a sound/visual barrier along the fences of a few businesses and even fewer residences.
It has dense branches, lots of foliage that is retained year-round, and it blooms throughout the year in the LRGV. Duranta requires watering and cannot last through sustained drought. It will die back if it has
to go through several hours of freezing temperatures. Duranta produces lots of seed-filled poisonous berries (to humans
and animals). Fortunately, you almost never find Duranta growing in the wild, away from areas where it has been purposely
planted. Few local nurseries offer Duranta for sale, and even then, only offer a few
plants. The public does not buy Duranta, because both its leaves and berries are highly poisonous; it grows to 12-14
feet tall; has long, up to 6 foot, dense branches that can break easily in the wind, requiring a lot of trimming to keep it
contained and maintained; and it requires watering. To keep it contained, I have to cut my Duranta back to about 18''
every year, and it still will grow to over 10 feet tall if I let it. Although it
is a non-native, it is found in most of the many public butterfly gardens that we have in the Valley and some of the yards
of Valley butterfliers. Since it does bloom year-round, it is highly attractive to all species of nectaring butterflies,
and Marius Hairstreaks use it as a caterpillar food/host plant.
11/22/2013 at 1324hrs. Marius Hairstreak - Rekoa marius found laying eggs, singly, among the buds
at the tips of stems of the Duranta - Duranta erecta.
11/22/2013 at 1128hrs. Day-1
as an egg. I collected the stem-tip with the egg and brought it inside to begin this life cycle study.
11/26/2013 at 1900hrs. Day-4
from when the egg was laid. The caterpillar has eclosed, beginning Day-1 as a caterpillar. It imediately began
to eat its egg casing. The caterpillar is 1.5mm long.
11/28/2013. Day-6 from
when the egg was laid. Day-3 as a caterpillar. The caterpillar is 2mm long.
11/29/2013. Day-7 from
when the egg was laid. Day-4 as a caterpillar. The caterpillar is still 2mm long.
11/30/2013. Day-8
from when the egg was laid. Day-5 as a caterpillar (head is to the right). The caterpillar is 2.5mm long.
11/30/2013. This is an
example of how the young caterpillar has been feeding. It feeds by eating a hole in the base of the flower (not ever
going inside the hole).
12/2/2013. Day-10 from
when the egg was laid. Day-7 as a caterpillar (head is to the left). The caterpillar is 4mm long.
12/4/2013. Day-12 from
when the egg was laid. Day-9 as a caterpillar (head is to the left). The caterpillar is 5mm long.
12/6/2013. Day-14 from
when the egg was laid. Day-11 as a caterpillar (head is to the left). The caterpillar has begun to eat the tenderest
of the buds at the very tip of the plant stems. The caterpillar has grown to 9mm in just two days.
12/8/2013. Day-16 from
when the egg was laid. Day-13 as a caterpillar (head is to the left). The caterpillar is 10mm long.
12/10/2013. Day-18 from
when the egg was laid. Day-15 as a caterpillar (head is to the right). The caterpillar has really grown in just
two days and is 15mm long.
12/12/2013. Day-20 from
when the egg was laid. Day-17 as a caterpillar (head is to the left). The caterpillar is 18mm long.
Marius caterpillars can be
either green or purple. This photo was taken in September, 2008, and is from a Marius life cycle study that I completed,
but did not detail enough to publish. This caterpillar was found on and reared by feeding Duranta, also. The caterpillar
in this photo is the same age (17 days from eclosure) as the above photograph. It remained purple throughout its caterpillar
stages.
12/14/2013. Day-22 from
when the egg was laid. Day 19 as a caterpillar (head is to the left). The caterpillar is ready to form a chrysallis.
The caterpillar has shrunk to 12mm long. Many caterpillars do not form a "J", but attach themselves
to leaves. Notice the silk girdle that goes over the caterpillar, near its head, to anchor it to the leaf. Notice,
also, that it has connected the base of the leaf to the stem with silk.
12/14/2013. Day-22 from
when the egg was laid. Day 19 as a caterpillar (the head is to the right). You can see the silk girdle that goes
over the caterpillar, near its head, to anchor it to the leaf. In this photo, you can see that it has connected the
leaf both to the base of the stem, and also connected the leaf, near its head, to another broken stem, to hold the leaf in
a constant horizontal position.
12/15/2013 at 2320hrs. Day-23
from when the egg was laid. Day-1 as a chrysalis (head is to the right or tip of the leaf).
12/15/2013 at 2320hrs. Day-23
from when the egg was laid. Day-1 as a chrysalis (head is to the right or tip of the leaf).
12/16/2013 at 0920hrs. Day-24
from when the egg was laid. Day-2 as a chrysalis (head is to the right).
12/16/2013 at 0920hrs. Day-24
from when the egg was laid. Day-2 as a chrysalis (head is to the right).
12/17/2013 at 2022hrs. Day-25
from when the egg was laid. Day-3 as a chrysalis (head is to the right).
12/17/2013 at 2022hrs. Day-25
from when the egg was laid. Day-3 as
a chrysalis (head is to the right).
12/19/2013 at 2230hrs. Day-27
from when the egg was laid. Day-5 as a chrysalis (head is to the right).
12/19/2013 at 2230hrs. Day-27
from when the egg was laid. Day-5 as a chrysalis (head is to the right).
12/21/2013. Day-29 from
when the egg was laid. Day-7 as a chrysalis (head is to the right).
12/21/2013. Day-29 from
when the egg was laid. Day-7 as a chrysalis (head is to the right).
12/24/2013 at 1850hrs. Day-32
from when the egg was laid. Day-10 as a chrysalis (head is to the right).
12/24/2013 at 1850hrs. Day-32
from when the egg was laid. Day-10 as a chrysalis (head is to the right).
12/25/2013 at 0620hrs. Day-33
from when the egg was laid. Day-11 as a chrysalis (head is to the right). Chrysalis is turning black, indicating
emergence is soon to occur.
12/25/2013 at 0620hrs. Day-33
from when the egg was laid. Day-11 as a chrysalis (head is to the right). Chrysalis is turning black, indicating
emergence is soon to occur.
12/25/2013 at 0938hrs.
Day-33 from when the egg was laid. Day-11 as a chrysalis (head is to the right). Chrysalis is getting even
more black. Emergence is soon.
12/25/2013 at 0938hrs.
Day-33 from when the egg was laid. Day-11 as a chrysalis (head is to the right). Chrysalis is getting even
more black. Emergence is soon.
12/25/2013 at 1443hrs. Day-33
from when the egg was laid. The butterfly emerged at ~1415-1430hrs. (when I looked at 1400hrs., it was still a chrysalis).
I was trying to keep a watch on the chrysalis, while I was preparing Christmas dinner, but missed the butterfly's emergence!
I could not get a picture of the dorsal side. However, while it flexed it wings and while it flew around in the box,
the dorsal side was all gray, indicating this is a female.
12/25/2013 at 1643hrs. The
female Marius Hairstreak - Rekoa marius was released back on the same Duranta - Duranta erecta, near
where the egg was collected.
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