We report the life history from egg to adult of the lycaenid butterfly Arawacus ellida on the leaves of Solanum paniculatum L. (Solanaceae) in Alagoas, Brazil. Of four caterpillars sampled from S. paniculatum, one was parasitized by a Braconidae and one by a Chalcididae. We summarize published and unpublished life history records for A. ellida. Besides Solanaceae, this species eats Asteraceae. The significance of this paper is that it provides the background information needed to determine whether the use of Solanaceae and Asteraceae provides the caterpillars with predator-free space.