1972] 
Young — Dismorphia virgo 
171 
At Cuesta Angel, it was observed that males often patrol regular 
areas along a foot trail leading down to a river through steep pri- 
mary-growth forest. Although these individuals (a total of 6 patrol- 
ling sites were discovered during July and August) were not marked, 
there is high site tenacity since the males were seen on several suc- 
cessive days. Although courtship was not observed either at these 
patrolling sites or at host plants, such a dispersed population of D. 
virgo may have a courtship strategy in which males patrol well es- 
tablished sites for females, as a mechanism for bringing virgin fe- 
males in contact with males. The six male-patrolling sites at Cuesta 
Angel were widely separated from each other with the least distance 
between two of them being about 100 meters. 
At both localities, adult D. virgo co-occurs in the same habitat as 
unrelated species which bear mimetic resemblance to it (Table 2). 
At Banjo la Hondura, the additional species is Oleria zelica pagasa 
(Druce) (Nymphalidae : Ithomiinae), and at Cuesta Angel, O. 
zelica pagasa and female Itaballia caesia tenuicornis (Butler & 
Druce) (Pieridae: Pierinae) (Fig. 2). All three species are sim- 
ilar in wing-length and bear a similar black and lemon-yellow color 
pattern on the dorsal wing surfaces. But the resemblance is greater 
between D. virgo and O. zelica pagasa than it is for either of these 
butterflies with I. caesia tenuicornis (Fig. 2). Sexual dimorphism 
is very pronounced in 7 . caesia tenuicornis , and only the female re- 
sembles both sexes of O. zelica pagasa and female D. virgo (Young, 
in prep.). While the sample size is small (Table 2) and observations 
were made for only a two-month period, the observed regular co- 
occurrence of these butterflies is suggestive of mimetic association. 
Verification of this hypothesis awaits further field studies on more 
extensive estimates of relative abundance, incidence of beak-mark 
impressions on wings of each species, and laboratory experimental 
feeding studies on palatability. 
Discussion 
If both sexes or at least female D. virgo at both localities is in- 
volved in a mimicry complex, then it is probable that this butterfly 
is a Batesian mimic of O. zelica pagasa. , a species occurring at both 
localities. If it is assumed that mimetic association is operative be- 
tween these butterflies (an assumption supported in part by the ob- 
served regular co-occurrence of these butterflies in the same habitat 
for at least one time of the year — Table 2), the presumed palata- 
bility of D. virgo , in the absence of experimental feeding studies, 
