As adults, some butterflies can feed on a variety of nectar plants and are considered generalists, while other species feed on or show preferences for a limited number of food sources. In butterfly houses, butterflies provisioned with sufficient nectar are expected to live longer and have better health. The Montreal Insectarium Grand Vivarium (MIGV) was used as an experimental macrocosm to study the feeding preferences of 21 butterfly species. We ask the question ‘Do the butterflies of the MIGV show feeding preferences?’ We measured niche breadth in terms of feeding and explored associations between butterfly species and natural and artificial nectar sources. Our results show that some butterflies in the MIGV are generalists, visiting up to eight plant species, while others feed only on one or a few. On the other hand, no plant species was visited by all butterfly species. Some flowers were visited by up to 12 species of butterflies, while others by only a few. Some heliconiine species displayed feeding behavior known to occur in the wild. Together, these results contribute to a better understanding of butterfly ecology in controlled environments and highlight the importance of diverse nectar resources for butterfly welfare in museum settings.

Three new species of Hesperiidae from French Guiana are described. Emmelus benmesbahi Shuey, n. sp. (Eudaminae) represents an eastern extension of this previously monotypic genus. It looks very similar to Emmelus purpurascens but has distinctive genitalia. Damas woldi Shuey, n. sp. (Hesperiinae) is closely related to the widespread neotropical “Damas clavus”, a species concept that likely includes other cryptic species across its expansive range. The new species differs consistently in wing pattern and genitalic characters with neighboring populations in the Amazon basin. Metrocles nigroalbum Shuey, n. sp. (Hesperiinae) is a uniquely patterned species that can be confused with no others. All three new species are from the Kaw Mountains and coastal areas of the country.

This is the first report of Euzophera vinnulella Neunzig (Pyralidae: Phycitinae) feeding on the bark of fig trees, Ficus carica (Moraceae), in northern California. We describe the immature stages, and provide images of the larva, pupal exoskeleton, and male genitalia from the reared adults. The immatures of E. vinnulella (and the genus Euzophera Zeller) are compared to those of Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zeller, or the carob moth.

Laboratory hybridization experiments using Phyciodes batesii anasazi and P. batesii lakota show genetic incompatibility expressed as a reduction in F1 viability and disturbance in development rate and adult eclosion pattern comparable to those between P. b. batesii and P. tharos or P. cocyta. When P. b. anasazi was hybridized with P. tharos or with P. cocyta there was less but still significant genetic incompatibility. Hybrid inviability arises from regulatory differences in metabolic pathways during development. Disturbance in adult eclosion patterns seems to be related to differences in larval diapause regulation. The results indicate that P. b. anasazi is not conspecific with P. batesii, but is a separate species more closely related to P. cocyta and P. tharos.

King's hairstreak, Satyrium kingi (Klots and Clench, 1952), is rarely encountered throughout its range, with relatively little known about its life history and behavior. While adults can be difficult to study in the field, observations of caterpillars may inform management as their presence and position on host trees, Symplocos tinctoria, elucidates both habitat and host tree preferences. We surveyed for King's hairstreak caterpillars and adults in three management units in a Maryland floodplain forest. The units were managed with either prescribed fire and/or harvesting timber and also differed in time-since-management. Caterpillars were surveyed at night using UV flashlights from the ground and in the canopy using an articulated lift. We examined caterpillar frequency on different size classes of S. tinctoria within the three management units, and examined the ratio of caterpillar heights relative to the height of occupied S. tinctoria trees. We did not find any statistical differences in caterpillar frequency across different tree heights. The mean ratio of caterpillar heights from the ground relative to the height of the tree appeared normally distributed. We could not differentiate between management units in the model due to the lack of replication for time-since-management, however our observations and results may have practical implications for land managers.

Monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus L., in western North America are undergoing a seemingly volatile shift in seasonal population dynamics which includes novel winter-breeding on non-native milkweed in urban areas of northern California. The survival, viability and outcome of monarch pupae in the wild was evaluated for the first time by regular monitoring of a cohort of 104 pupae in a San Francisco managed urban landscape during the winter of 2021/22. Seventeen pupae were destroyed by landscaping activities. Almost half (49.4%) of the remaining pupae eclosed, with ∼ 70% likely infected with varying levels of the protozoan parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE). A third of the pupae (32.2%) died of unknown causes, while the remainder (18.4%) disappeared, presumed predated. Two monarchs were killed while eclosing, by European paper wasps, Polistes dominula (Christ, 1791). Microscopic examination of pupal exuviae for spores of OE appeared to be a satisfactory proxy for microscopic examination of butterfly abdomens, in determining the presence/absence of infection. The developing importance of winter breeding in western monarch ecology necessitates modifications to conservation guidelines that enhance the survival of immature stages, acknowledging the role of non-native milkweeds while minimizing parasite infection.

Abstract. Schinia scissa (Grote) is endemic to Florida and one of the most rarely-encountered North American flower moths (Heliothinae), known to science from less than 10 specimens for nearly 150 years. The life history and larval host plant, previously unknown, is documented here for the first time. Larvae feed on the flowering parts of Arcadian St. John's Wort (Hypericum edisonianum, Hypericaceae), and circumstantial evidence indicates other Hypericum species may be suitable hosts as well.