Larvae of the phaon crescent, Phyciodes phaon , feed upon Phyla nodiflora , and the butterfly and host plant are abundant year round in Gainesville. Thus, the phaon crescent seemed like a suitable butterfly model for studying nutrition and feeding behavior. After trying several unsuccessful diet formulations, I have reared the butterfly on an artificial diet containing pinto bean meal, casein, wheat germ, torula yeast, and a vitamin mixture as sources of proteins and vitamins. Addition of a mineral mix improves feeding and growth rate. Although development to the adult stage on the artificial diet is complete in only slightly longer time than on the host plant, females do not lay eggs even though they have mature ovaries with eggs. Addition of 10% (dry weight basis) of ground, freeze dried host plant leaves to the artificial diet enables females to lay eggs that hatch. Larvae choose artificial diet with added host plant over artificial diet with no host plant material, suggesting a feeding cue in the host plant. Investigations to determine a possible feeding cue, as well as possible nutritional value of 10% host plant material in the diet are in progress. Butterflies often are restricted to one or a few hosts, and they may have evolved a more complex nutritional relationship and/or need for token stimuli with their host plant than moths, which often have multiple hosts.
Species 1: Lepidoptera Nymphalidae Phyciodes phaon (Phaon crescent)
Keywords: rearing, artificial diet
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