Article
Early View
Life Woven in Mist: Immature stages and morphology of Andean Pronophilina butterflies from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia (Satyrinae: Satyrini)
Yeison E.V. Garrido*, Mariajose Hernández-Caballero, Shinichi Nakahara, Pierre Boyer, Vanessa Díaz-S, Oscar Jaime, Oscar Mahecha-J, Tomasz W. Pyrcz
Yeison E.V. Garrido
Alianza para una Amazonía Sostenible Perú, Madre de Dios, Perú
yeison.vega@sustainableamazon.org
Mariajose Hernández-Caballero
Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogotá, Colombia
marhernandezc@udistrital.edu.co
Shinichi Nakahara
Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
snakahara@fas.harvard.edu
Pierre Boyer
7 Lotissement l’Horizon, Le Puy Sainte Réparade, France
boyerpierre05@gmail.com
Vanessa Díaz-S
Grupo de Investigación en Biogeografía y Ecología Evolutiva Neotropical BEEN, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogotá, Colombia
diazsvane@gmail.com
Oscar Jaime
Grupo de Investigación en Biogeografía y Ecología Evolutiva Neotropical BEEN, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogotá, Colombia
oarojasj@udistrital.edu.co
Oscar Mahecha-J
Grupo de Investigación en Biogeografía y Ecología Evolutiva Neotropical BEEN, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogotá, Colombia
ojmahechaj@udistrital.edu.co
Tomasz W. Pyrcz
Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
tomasz.pyrcz@uj.edu.pl
Communicated by Jens Thorvald Høeg

The subtribe Pronophilina comprises the most diverse lineage of Andean butterflies, with 59 genera and approximately 650 described species. Most studies on this group have focused on adults, highlighting a substantial gap in knowledge regarding the immature stages of the majority of species. Here, we document immatures stages of five Pronophilina species (Idioneurula erebioides, Daedalma drusilla, Pedaliodes ochrotaenia, P. nebris, P. guicana) for the first time. Additionally, we document immature stages of two additional species (Lymanopoda samius, Junea doraete) from the Eastern Cordillera in Colombia, building on earlier studies on these two taxa. The methodology involved systematic searches for eggs and larvae on potential host plants in the field. Collected larvae were photographed and monitored in the laboratory. Data on their interactions with host plants and parasitoids are presented. This approach allowed a comprehensive characterization of the life cycles, host plant associations, and larval behavior of each instar, providing valuable insights into the biology and ecology of this group of butterflies.

Keywords

High-elevation ecosystems, Host plant use, Larval development, Life history, Ontogeny, Parasitoid associations, Plant-insect interactions

About this article
Citation:

Garrido YEV, Hernández-Caballero M, Nakahara S, Boyer P, Díaz-S V, Jaime O, Mahecha-J O, Pyrcz TW. 2026. Life woven in mist: immature stages and morphology of Andean Pronophilina butterflies from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia (Satyrinae: Satyrini). Zool Stud 65:35. 

( Received 14 March 2025 / Accepted 15 June 2026 )