Mevania basalis Walker
Larval morphology and behavior:
Common name for caterpillar morphospecies:
“Checker Chusquea”
“Dark angel”
“Black headed ghost”
“Tipo checker chusquea”
Distribution:
Caterpillars were collected in Napo Province, Ecuador (Yanayacu Biological Station and Center for Creative Studies: various sites).
Foodplant Associations:
Most caterpillars of this species have been reared at Yanayacu Biological Station (Napo, Ecuador) on Chusquea scandens (Poaceae). A few were also collected from Dendrophorbium lloense (Asteraceae) and from an unknown species of Euphorbiaceae.
Parasitoid Associations:
Braconidae: Macrocentrinae: Dolichozele
Ichneumonidae: unknown species
Tachinidae: Exoristinae: Hyphantrophaga
N= 217 rearings as of 2012, 95 eclosed, 20 were parasitized and 91 died
Reared YBS vouchers #:
473,5176,5540,7674,7675,7676,7677,7678,7679,7680,7681,7682,7682.1,10137,11566,11567,11568,11569,11570,11571,11574,11575,11576,11577,11578,11579,17040,17041,17042,17043,17044,17045,17046,17047,17048,17049,17933,17934,17935,18933,18934,19429,27239,27240,27241,27242,27243,27244,27245,27710,27752,27754,29758,29759,29760,29761,29762,29763,29764,29765,29766,29767,29768,29769,29770,33901,33902,35757,35758,35759,35760,35761,36179,36449,36484,36485,36486,36487,36488,36489,36490,36491,36492,36493,36494,36495,36496,36497,36498,36499,36500,36501,36502,36503,36504,36505,36908,37250,37451,37898,38682,38755,38756,38757,38799,39541,39854,39855,39856,39857,39858,39859,39860,39861,39862,39863,39864,39865,39866,39867,39868,39869,39870,40776,41970,42159,42213,42214,42215,43078,43677,43678,43679,43680,43681,43682,43683,43684,43685,43686,43687,43688,43689,43690,43691,43692,43693,43694,43695,43696,43697,43698,43699,43776,43865,43870,48548,50657,50658,50659,50660,50661,50662,50663,50664,50665,50666,50667,50668,50669,50670,50671,50672,50673,50674,50675,50676,50677,50678,50679,50680,51407,51408,51409,51410,51411,51412,51413,51414,51415,51416,51417,51418,51419,51420,52593,52977,52980,52981,52983,53959,55168,69114,69115,69116,69117,69118,69119,69120,69121,69122,69123,69124,69125,69126,69127,69128
Most adult reared specimens are deposited @ AMNH.