Asbolis capucinus

Photo Life History:  Bug Life Cycles

Habitat:  Found in natural and disturbed habitat in South Florida in association with many species of Palm trees.

Host Plants:  Serenoa repens (and many others)

Suitable Lab Host Plants: Leaves of most any species of Palm work well in the lab.

Caring for Live Female Butterflies: 

Methods of Female Oviposition:  

How to Find Eggs:   Eggs can be laid in haphazard clutches on Palm leaves.

How to Hatch Eggs:  Consolidate eggs into one container.  Mist spray eggs intermittently.  Simulate natural humidity.

How to Find Caterpillars in the Field:  Larvae make typical hesperine skipper nests on Palm leaves.  These can be very conspicuous and easy to find on smaller palms if the skipper is sufficiently common.  First instar larvae initiate feeding towards the top of a palm leaf.  

Caterpillar setups:  Open terrarium.  Unfed first instar larvae will construct a nest at the tip of the palm leaf before feeding.  Larvae sometimes will not initiate feeding unless mist sprayed with water regularly.

Larva to Pupa:  Last instar caterpillars pupate in their nests or construct new nests to pupate.

How to Find Pupae in the Field: Look for evidence of caterpillar feeding by looking for unique nests on palms.  When larvae pupate in their nests they plug up the entrance with white silk somewhat similar to Euphyes nests on sedges. (See video on Euphyes.)

Number of Broods per Year:  Can fly year round in South Florida.

Overwintering Stage: 

Overwintering Strategies: 

Post-Hibernation Strategies:

Avoiding Diapause Techniques:  Provide larvae with healthy host plant.  Diapause prevention is not normally needed. 

Disease Prevention: Change out host plant and remove frass every five to seven days or until palm leaves dry out using the open terrarium technique. 

Emergence:  Emergence Container

Field Notes:  Grandison and Sons Landscape Nursery near Florida City, Florida has dozens of species of Palms; most of which had hundreds if not thousands of larvae of Asbolis capucinus on them in March of 2000.  Most of these larvae were parasitized.  Pupae were also collected on some trees.