1972 ] 
Y oung — Hymenitis 
291 
Eisner, 1970; Young, 1972). Several of these factors are discussed 
below for 1 H. nero, and in relation to other ithomiine genera, from 
three major considerations: (1) palatability and mimicry, (2) strat- 
egies of oviposition, and (3) defensive behavior of larvae. 
Palatability and Mimicry 
The Ithomiinae have long been known to be generally unpalatable 
butterflies since the larvae of most species feed on various Solanaceae, 
and this prediction has been verified for adults of selected species 
(Brower and Brower, 1964). The larvae of H. nero feed on Oes- 
trum in the Solanaceae and are therefore presumably unpalatable. 
As to be discussed below, this unpalatability may not be characteristic 
of all life stages. Together, adults of at least three species, H. nero , 
H. andromica, and Pseudoscada utilla appear very similar, in terms 
of size, coloration, and wing transparency (Fig. i-D). The local 
sympatry of these Species at Cuesta Angel lends further credence to 
the prediction that they form a Mullerian mimicry complex. But 
until the relative palatabilities of adults and larvae of all three spe- 
cies are determined, along with estimations of relative abundances of 
adults in local habitats, the hypothesis of Mullerian mimicry cannot 
be tested. The very existence of the rather cryptic clear wing pheno- 
type in many ithomiine species throughout Central and South Amer- 
ica suggests that while these species derive protection from their 
transparency, they undoubtedly derive some advantage from being 
mimetic. This problem clearly needs more quantitative and chemical 
study for both larvae and adults. 
Strategies of Oviposition 
The single oviposition pattern of H. nero is characteristic of many 
other ithomiines, in addition to being the general rule in butterflies 
as a group (Labine, 1968). Yet it is clear that other patterns of 
oviposition exist in other ithomiine genera. In another report (Young, 
in prep.), it is shown that the ithomiine Godyris zavaleta lays loose 
clusters of eggs on the ventral leaf surfaces of Solanum hispidum. 
As a result of this oviposition pattern, it is not uncommon to find 
several larvae together on a single leaf. But these larvae show no 
coordinated gregarious behavior and individuals seldom have physical 
contact with one another. Yet in another genus, Mechanitis ) species 
such as M. isthmia exhibit tight clustering of eggs in well-defined 
rows on ventral surfaces of leaves of solanaceous food plants in both 
Costa Rica and El Salvador (Young, in prep.). Furthermore, larval 
gregariousness is very apparent, with both resting and feeding activ- 
ities being highly synchronized and coordinated among the individ- 
