1978] 
Aiello & Silberglied — Dynastor darius 
343 
Discussion 
The life cycle 
Burmeister’s (1873) brief description and figure of a last instar 
larva of Dynastor darius from Rio de Janeiro agrees with our 
observations in all important respects, differing only slightly in 
details of the dorsal spots and the color of the head. The dorsal spots 
of Burmeister’s larva were described as “oval eyes, black, with a 
yellowish pupil, surrounded by a white outer margin, bordered with 
black.” It is not surprising that descriptions of the complex and ever 
changing dorsal spots would vary. The black and green reticulated 
center might be interpreted as dull yellow from a distance, the dark 
green or brown might be seen as black, and the outermost green rings, 
which blend with the pattern of the rest of the body could easily be 
overlooked. The head of Burmeister’s specimen was “yellow-brown 
with a large dark maroon spot on each side immediately in front of 
the horns which are of the same color.” His observations may have 
been made from a newly molted, partially darkened individual, or 
Brasilian specimens might be paler than Panamanian ones. 
During a long visit to southern Brasil, Muller (1886) reared 
Dynastor darius from egg to adult, but did not describe the egg. His 
larva passed through five instars, the period from hatching to adult 
lasting 71 days. His detailed description notes changes in the dorsal 
spots and in the exact number of stripes present on the body. Our 
larvae showed considerable variation in number of body stripes 
among individuals of the same size. Muller’s first instar was “red- 
brown and white,” in contrast to ours which were red-brown and 
yellow. As did Burmeister, Muller also described the dorsal spots as 
having a yellow center. His pupa was “greenish white with very dense, 
fine, irregular long brown stripes.” All eleven of our pupae were 
brown. Perhaps the pupal color varies geographically, genetically, or 
depends upon light conditions during or prior to pupation. 
Rothschild (1916) briefly described and figured the last instar larva 
and pupa of Dynastor darius from an unpublished sketch by E. 
Hartgen, in the Tring Museum Library. The larva, as far as can be 
determined, was essentially the same as ours. Rothschild’s figure of 
the “deep grass-green” pupa is difficult to interpret; the wings appear 
to cover the dorsal rather than the ventral side of the body. Being a 
figure from a sketch, perhaps something was lost in translation. 
