
Starr County Butterflies

Fresh egg

Neonate

First instar building its nest

Second instar

Second instar, feeding from shelter

Third instar

Fourth instar

Defensive position

Fifth instar

Shelter of fifth instar

Pupa

Fresh Southern Broken-Dash, ventral view, 1-8-23

A second fresh Southern Broken-Dash, dorsal view, 1-28-23
[This is my informal recounting of a study that appeared in News of the Lepidipterists' Society 2024_v66_n1.pdf.] Richard Boscoe gave me the eggs of this study. They were deposited on, and the caterpillars fed on, Guinea Grass (Panicum maximum).
The caterpillars were difficult to observe, as they rarely came out of the shelters they built for themselves. Broken-Dashes are interesting in that they are probably the only North American butterfly caterpillars to carry their shelters around with them. The fifth picture on the right shows a second-instar sticking its head out of the shelter to feed; the shelter is held to the grass blade by silken threads.
After the first molt, the caterpillars changed very little. There is a yellow band between the head and the black collar; the yellow seemed to become a shade lighter with each molt. Other than that, as can be seen in the photos, there was very little change.
When feeling threatened, a caterpillars would roll its head up underneath the body, even when in the shelter. (See "defensive position" picture after fourth instar.)
I kept most of the caterpillars on potted grass inside a new netted cage. To my chagrin, several of the later instars chewed out ovals of the netting to make their nests. When I moved them to a jar with filter paper on the floor, they proceeded to turn the paper into shelters also!

Shelters made from cage & flooring
The pupa was formed inside a leaf shelter; in this case the shelter generally had a spiral roll. As with numerous skippers, the pupa was covered with a white powedery substance. The pictured pupa was removed from the shelter and cleaned before it was photographed.
Development time was staggered for the caterpillars I reared; some may even have gone into a short diapause. The first adult emerged about 6 weeks after the eggs were laid.