Abstract

CLARO, Ricardo A  and  RUIZ, Natalia. ACCEPTANCE OF AN ARTIFICIAL DIET FOR CATERPILLARS OF THE BUTTERFLY BATTUS POLYDAMAS POLYDAMAS (LEPIDOPTERA: PAPILIONIDAE). Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2010, vol.15, n.1, pp.47-62. ISSN 0120-548X.

We evaluated the acceptability of an artificial diet for the feeding larval stage of the butterfly Battus polydamas polydamas (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) under control conditions. We offered to the larvae a diet in different forms and composition: disks, spilled like a supplement over the host sheet plant and host plant like a control. The diet composition was made according with preliminary essays and nutritional analyses to the larvae and the host plant, Aristolochia maxima. The longevity of the larvae, raised in the laboratory, was significantly affected for the different food treatments. Only finalized the life cycle of the larvae feed with young host plant sheet (control) and with diet spilled like a supplement over the host plant sheet. The surviving curves do not show significant differences between the larvae feeding with young leaves and the larvae feeding with spread diet. In contrast, the larva growth rates were significantly affected by the treatment. We found that the breeding of B. polydamas with an artificial diet is possible, under control conditions of temperature, humidity and light, for a research proposal or for future handling and conservation planes.

Keywords : Aristolochia maxima; Oligophagous; Life History; Breeding; Conservation.

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