Marantaceae

Cock, Matthew J. W., Congdon, T. Colin E. & Collins, Steve C., 2016, Observations on the biology of Afrotropical Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera). Part 9. Hesperiinae incertae sedis: Zingiberales feeders, genera of unknown biology and an overview of the Hesperiinae incertae sedis, Zootaxa 4066 (3), pp. 201-247 : 228

The Marantaceae feeders

Four Afrotropical Hesperiinae incertae sedis genera are known to include Marantaceae feeders. Rhabdomantis and Osmodes have only been recorded from Marantaceae , whereas Xanthodisca and Caenides include selected representatives that use this food plant family and both are paraphyletic.

The genus Rhabdomantis comprises two species and only differs from Osmodes in the absence of any brand on the hindwing and in the appearance, particularly in the absence of silvery spots on the hindwing below according to Evans (1937). Although Larsen (2005) suggests there are affinities between the genitalia of Rhabdomantis and Osmodes , he subsequently changed his view, considering the genitalia to be very different (T.B. Larsen pers. comm. 2014, 2015). The type species, R. galatia (Hewitson) is found from Sierra Leone to western Uganda ( Evans 1937, Ackery et al. 1995). Vuattoux (1999) reports rearing a single specimen from Trachyphrynium braunianum (Marantaceae) in Côte d’Ivoire. This record is repeated by Larsen (2005) and Vande weghe (2010). There is no other information on the biology of this genus.

As discussed above under Xanthodisca , the late T.B. Larsen (pers. comm. 2015) planned to establish a new genus for X. astrape , a species that had been placed in Xanthodisca but is not closely related to this or any other genera of Hesperiinae incertae sedis. We have not reared this species, but Vuattoux (1999) reared one specimen from T. braunianum (Marantaceae) in Côte d’Ivoire; this record is repeated in Larsen (2005) and Vande weghe (2010). Unfortunately we have no further information on the early stages of this genus.

Caenides kangvensis has been reared from the lily Gloriosa superba ( Colchicaceae , formerly Liliaceae ) and Thalia geniculata (= T. welwitschii ) ( Marantaceae ) ( Vuattoux 1999), but the early stages have not been documented. As noted above, other Caenides spp. feed on Arecaceae , Zingiberaceae and Costaceae .