Scientific name for social butterfly

[Hank & Priscilla Brodkin]

Louis Deaett wrote:
> 
> The other day I heard someone called a "social butterfly" for the first
> time, and my immediate thought was "lepidopterus socialis" -- but that
> can't be right, can it?  I mean, lepidoptera is an order, not a genus.
> Can anyone help me out here?
> 
> TIA,
> Louis
> 
> P.S. There aren't _really_ any social butterflies, are there?

Louis -
Yes, there is a Social White (Euchira socialis) in Mexico.  The larvae
feed on Mexican Madrone in the Madrean evergreen forests.  The adult
spins a very large (for the size of the butterfly), very tough white
parchment like bag.  The larvae apparently use this bag for shelter (we
have opened a bag and found live larvae in it) - and probably feeds at
night.  The larvae pupate in the bag.
We have seen these bags in forests around Yecora, Sonora, where they are
quite common.  We have never seen an adult butterfly - which probably
has a very short flight period.
If I have some of these facts wrong, please jump in and correct me. 
This is a fascinating bug and I would like to learn more about it.
Cheers!


-- 
	             Hank & Priscilla Brodkin
	          Carr Canyon, Cochise County, AZ
                    Lat: 31.450, Long: 110.267
             SouthEast Arizona Butterfly Association
          http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabasa/home.html