ABSTRACT
Costa Ricas most populated area, the Central valley, has lost much of its natural habitat, and the little that remains has been altered to varying degrees. Yet few studies have been conducted to assess the need for conservation in this area. We present preliminary inventories of plants, butterflies, and day-flying moths of the Reserva Ecológica Leonelo Oviedo (RELO), a small Premontane Moist Forest preserve within the University of Costa Rica campus, located in the urbanized part of the valley. Butterflies are one of the best bio-indicators of a habitats health, because they are highly sensitive to environmental changes and are tightly linked to the local flora. A description of the RELOs physical features and its history is also presented with illustrations. Approximately 432 species of ca. 334 genera in 113 families of plants were identified. However, only 57 % of them represent species native to the Premontane Moist Forest of the region; the rest are either exotic or species introduced mostly from lowland. More than 200 species of butterflies in six families, including Hesperiidae, have been recorded. Rev. Biol. Trop. 57 (Suppl. 1): 31-67. Epub 2009 November 30.
Por ser el área más poblada del país, el valle Central de Costa Rica perdió su hábitat natural; lo poco que queda ha sido alterado en grados variados. Sin embargo, se han realizado algunos estudios para evaluar la necesidad de conservación en esta área. Se presentan inventarios preliminares de plantas, mariposas y polillas diurnas de la Reserva Ecológica Leonelo Oviedo (RELO); una pequeña reserva de bosque húmedo premontano en del campus de la Universidad de Costa Rica, ubicado en la parte urbanizada del valle. Las mariposas diurnas son uno de los mejores bio-indicadores de la salud del hábitat, porque son muy sensibles a los cambios del ambiente y están estrechamente ligadas a la flora local. Se presenta también una descripción de los caracteres físicos y la historia de la RELO, con ilustraciones. Se identificaron aproximadamente 432 especies de ca. 334 géneros en 113 familias de plantas. Sin embargo, solamente 57% de ellas son especies nativas del bosque húmedo premontano de la región; el resto son especies exóticas o introducidas en su mayoría desde tierras bajas. Se han registrado más de 200 especies de mariposas diurnas en seis familias, incluyendo Hesperiidae.
Subject(s)
Plants/classification , Butterflies/classification , Lepidoptera/classification , Moths/classification , Universities , Costa Rica , Biodiversity , Rainforest , Conservational Biological ControlABSTRACT
Albusambia elaphoglossumae Solis & Davis, a new genus and species,is described.It was discov- ered mining the fronds of the fern Elaphoglossum conspersum in Costa Rica (San José and Cartago Provinces, at elevations of 2300-3100 m).The type series was obtained by rearing of the immature stages in laboratory. The adult is defined by unique genital characters,and the pupa with a medial depression on the vertex and with two anterolateral horn-like structures on the prothorax. The larva is a gregarious leaf miner with its body flat- tened dorsoventrally and head prognathous; morphological adaptations to its leaf-mining habit are new to the Musotiminae.Fern-feeding musotimines are important to the discovery of new biological control agents for invasive ferns
Se describen un género y especie nuevos de Musotiminae,Albusambia elaphoglossumae Solis and Davis,de Costa Rica.Esta especie mina las frondas del helecho Elaphoglossum conspersum .La serie tipo se obtuvo mediante la recolección de las minas y mediante crianza en laboratorio.El adulto se define por caracteres específicos en el aparato genital;la pupa se caracteriza por una depresión media en el vértex y por dos estructuras anterolaterales en forma de cuernos en el protórax.La larva es un minador gregario de la fronda,con su cuerpo aplanado dorsoventralmente y su cabeza prognata;ambas adaptaciones morfológicas para minar frondas (vistas por primera vez en Musotiminae). Actualmente,Musotiminae es de alta prioridad en la búsqueda de nuevos agentes para el control biológico de helechos invasores
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Female , Lepidoptera/classification , Lepidoptera/growth & development , Life Cycle Stages/physiology , Costa Rica , Ferns/parasitology , Lepidoptera/anatomy & histology , SeasonsABSTRACT
The life history and early stages of the satyrine butterfly Manataria maculata are described and illustrated from Costa Rica. Eggs are laid on Lasiacis sp. (Panicoideae), a new non-bamboo host plant for the genus Manataria. The larval stage varied from 23 to 28 days, and the pupal duration was approximately 12 days when reared on Bambusa vulgaris and Guadua angustifolia in captivity at 23-24 degrees C.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Female , Butterflies , Life Cycle Stages , Butterflies , PoaceaeABSTRACT
Cyllopsis emilia Chacón and Nishida, a new satyrine species, is described from a single male specimen from Cerro de la Muerte, San JosÚ, Costa Rica. This new species can be distinguished from other species of Cyllopsis by its white coloration.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Lepidoptera/classification , Costa Rica , Lepidoptera/anatomy & histologyABSTRACT
A new and morphologically very distinct species of Pediobius from Costa Rica is described. The new species (P. nishidai) is unique among New World species of Pediobius in having the propodeum elongated and extended backwards (i.e. with an elongated nucha). The entire type series (15 females, two males) was reared from a single prepupa of Epilachna mexicana and it has been concluded that the new Pediobius species is a gregarious endoparasitoid that pupates inside its host. The possible use of this new species as a biological control agent against "the Mexican bean beetle" (E. varivestis) should be tested.