Showing posts with label Pieridae. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pieridae. Show all posts

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Pioneer (Belenois aurota taprobana)

Pioneer is a common butterfly found in the dry zone of low lands and sometime in wet zone, though not common in all year rounds. Its best months appear to be between September and February (The Butterflies of Ceylon - D'abrera 1998).  It joins with migrating flights during North-East monsoons and mud-pudding with other species can be observed too. Its larva feeds on plants of Capparaceae family such as Capparis brevispina, Cadaba trifoliata, Capparis grandis, Capparis sepiaria, Capparis zeylanica (සුදු වෙළන්ගිරිය) and Maerua arenaria. Egg laying only was observed on Salvadora persica (මලිත්තන් /Mustard Tree) too.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Psyche (Leptosia nina)

Psyche is a slow flying common butterfly with island wide distribution throughout the year, though less common above 1500m.  It is usually found fluttering by the low shrub lands of open country and under growth of jungles.  Its larval host plants are Brassica juncea (අබ), Cardamine hirsuta, Nasturtium officinale (කස්තුරු, කක්කු‍ටු පලා, වට‍රැස්ස), Capparis zeylanica, Cleome gynandra, Cleome rutidosperma (Common spider flower)Cleome viscosa (වල් අබ/රන් මානිස්ස/Yellow Spider Flower)Brassica oleracea (Cauliflower, Cabbage & Knol khol are varieties), Cleome aspera, Cadaba fruticosa, Capparis sepiaria, and Crateva adansonii (ලුණුවරණ)

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Small Salmon Arab (Colotis amata modestus)

Due to salmon-pink color and epi-center of its distribution - which is believed to be of Arabia-, this small butterfly of low country dry zone got that name Small Salmon Arab. It is rather uncommon butterfly of scrublands and open areas. Unlike most other butterflies it often flies during hot hours of the day.  Female of this species sometime has white form instead of usual salmon color.  Larva of Small Salmon Arab feeds on plants of Salvadora persica (මලිත්තන් /Mustard Tree) and Azima tetracantha of Salvadoraceae family. 

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Common Jezebel (Delias eucharis)

It is abundant everywhere in island wherever its larval food plant flourishes (i.e. Loranthus species - Common parasitic plants called Pilila in Sinhala) at all elevations and flies all the year round. Flight is weak and fluttering. Although flies rather high, it comes readily to flowers in all weather conditions. It is not frequently mud puddling as the males of its mimic (Painted Saw-tooth) but in very hot weather few settle on damp spots on the river beds. Rather rare wet season form of this butterfly described with white of the upper surface is replaced by yellow, said to be frequent in Ratnapura district. Common jezebel sometimes flies with the company with its mimic of entirely different genus (Prioneris sita/ Painted Saw-tooth) which in normal flight appear very similar to the jezebel with coloration, wing shape and size. But once disturbed Painted Saw-tooth has rapidly ascending flight unlike Common jezebel.
Lava feeds on the leaves of Dendrophthoe falcata, Dendrophthoe ligulatus, Dendrophthoe neelgherrensis, Scurrula cordifolia, Scurrula parasitica, Taxillus tomentosus and Taxillus cuneatus of Loranthaceae family