What a remarkable host plant! Full description of the immatures of Canesia pallida (Röber, 1925) and Xenophanes tryxus (Stoll, 1780) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae, Pyrginae) coexisting on a Malvaceae species

Pyrginae larvae feed mostly on dicotyledonous host plants. Some species in this group appear to have a preference for Malvaceae, especially Pavonia Canavilles. Within Pyrgini, Canesia pallida (Röber, 1925) and Xenophanes tryxus (Stoll, 1780), feed on Pavonia, but the complete development and natural history have never been described. This paper aims to describe all the immature stages of C. pallida and X. tryxus coexisting on the same host plant. Collected eggs and larvae were studied using images from the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Five instars were recorded for both species, with 48 days reported for C. pallida and 47 for X. tryxus. Morphological differences are more conspicuous in eggs and pupae, whereas during the first to fifth instar larvae, their resemblance is greater and may lead to misidentification; the first larval instar of C. pallida and X. tryxus exhibits similar setae in the body as other species of Carcharodini. This study elucidates the complete development stages of C. pallida and X. tryxus, and help to start filling the gaps in aspects of immature stages, as well as reports a likely synapomorphic characteristic, currently known for Pyrgini and Carcharodini species, that deserves to be more studied in the group.