Oviposition Behavior, Host Plant Use, and Diet Breadth of Anthanassa Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Using Plants in the Acanthaceae in a Costa Rican Community

Oviposition behavior and use of host plants by populations of Anthanassa ardys and A. tulcis (Nymphalidae: Melitaeinae) were investigated in two different habitats near Monteverde, Costa Rica. We observed oviposition behavior and collected egg clusters for experimental rearings. To explore their diet breadth, both species were reared on nine locally growing plant species in the Acanthaceae, including Hypoestes phyllostachya, a naturalized exotic from Africa. A. ardys oviposited in nature on four acanth species (Dicliptera unguculata, Hypoestes phyllostachya, Justicia valerii, and Pseuderanthemum cuspidatum) and was reared with varied success on eight species. A. tulcis oviposited on two acanth species (Dicliptera unguiculata and Hypoestes phyllostacya), and was reared successfully on seven. Though both species laid eggs on Hypoestes (5 of 14 egg clusters found), neither species successfully completed development on this plant. This oviposition “mistake” might be explained by the fact that Anthanassa butterflies have only recently been exposed to this plant. Two other butterfly species, Anartia fatima and Siproeta epaphus, known to use Acanthaceae as host plants, were also unsuccessful in completing development on Hypoestes. Neither species was observed to oviposit on Hypoestes in nature.