Appearance
"Telegonus fulgerator" is a mid-sized skipper butterfly with the wing shape typical of this group. The upperside is black, with basal to postbasal blue corners which are more extensive on the forewings. There is one discal-tomal and one apical band on the forewing; these are usually off white to light blue but the former may be quite white towards the costal margin. The thorax has bluish hair on the back, the underside is yellow to orange.The caterpillars and pupae show a wide range of colors and patterns, and the caterpillars also vary in food preference. Last-instar caterpillars are black with a pattern consisting of light to bright yellow dots along the sides, or rings of varying thickness, sometimes interrupted on the back, in a range of colors varying from white to orange red.
Food
This species is highly polyphagous, with most food plants belonging to the Fabaceae :Selected primary food plants
⤷ Fabaceae
⤷ * "Inga": "I. exalata", "I. oerstediana", "I. punctata", "I. sapindoides", "I. vera" and probably others
⤷ * "Lonchocarpus"
⤷ * "Senna": candle bush, "S. cobanensis", "S. hayesiana", "S. pallida", "S. papillosa", "S. undulata" and probably others
⤷ Malvaceae
⤷ * "Hampea appendiculata"
⤷ Sapindaceae
⤷ * "Cupania": "C. glabra", "C. guatemalensis" and probably others
Selected secondary and accidental food plants
⤷ Capparaceae
⤷ * "Capparis frondosa"
⤷ Fabaceae
⤷ * "Canavalia brasiliensis"
⤷ * "Cassia": golden shower tree, "C. grandis" and possibly others
⤷ * "Centrosema" : "C. macrocarpum", "C. plumieri" and possibly others
⤷ * "Desmodium glabrum"
⤷ * "Dioclea": "D. malacocarpa", "D. violacea" and possibly others
⤷ * "Mucuna holtonii"
⤷ * "Piscidia carthagenensis"
⤷ Malvaceae
⤷ * "Byttneria catalpaefolia"
⤷ Rhamnaceae
⤷ * "Karwinskia calderoni"
⤷ Salicaceae
⤷ * "Casearia sylvestris"
⤷ Styracaceae
⤷ * "Styrax argenteus"
References:
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