Oviposition preference and larval growth rates of Caligo memnon (Nymphalidae : Brassolinae)

Caligo memnon caterpillars specialize on plants in three families, Heliconiaceae, Marantaceae, and Musaceea. These families are in the Order Zingiberales. Heliconiaceae and Marantaceae are native to the Neotropics, but Musaceae is an introduced family. I studied oviposition preference and larval performance of C. memnon on four host plants: Heliconia latispatha and Heliconia stricta (Heliconiacea), Calathea insignis (Marantaceae), and Musa acuminata (Musacea). Results showed that preferred host plants for oviposition did not correspond to the host plant that provided the fastest growth rate for caterpillars. Females preferred to oviposit on M. acuminata even though larval growth was lowest on this species, though not significantly. It may be that C. memnon is exhibiting maladaptive oviposition behavior and the introduced M. acuminata may be confusing the coevolved mechanisms for host plant choice. Estudié la preferencia en el sitio de oviposición y el desarrollo de la larva de C. memnon en cuatro plantas hospederas: Heliconia latispatha y Heliconia stricta (Heliconiacea), Calathea insignis (Marantaceae) y Musa acuminata (Musaceae).https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tropical_ecology/1311/thumbnail.jp