Oriental Apefly

Spalgis epius epius (Westwood, 1852) — Oriental Apefly

Malayalam Name     

:

മർക്കട ശലഭം

Common Name

;

Oriental Ape Fly

Order 

:

Lepidoptera

Super Family            

:

Papilionoidae (Butterflies)

Family              

: 

Lycaenidae

Sub Family

:

Mitelinae

DISTRIBUTION :  India

STATUS: Common

HABITAT : 

HABITS :

The pupae resembling face of apes, hence the name Ape Fly. Caterpillars are carnivorous, feeding largely on mealy bugs (Coccidae). The species unlike many other lycaenid butterflies is not myrmecophilous (it has no mutualistic associations with ants).

Pupa

IDENTIFICATION  FEATURES: 

Small-sized butterfly with wingspan of 20 to 30 mm.

 Male : Upperside: dull brown, slightly darker towards the apex of the forewing; also a more or less quadrate whitish spot beyond the apex of the cell on the same wing; in some specimens this spot is slightly diffuse. Underside: pale, silky, brownish white; forewings and hindwings crossed by numerous, very slender, short, sinuous, transverse, dark brown strigae which are outwardly slenderly edged with brownish white of a shade paler than that of the ground colour; both wings with an anteciliary dark brown line with on the inner side a similar edging. Forewing, in addition, with an oval white spot beyond the cell. Cilia of both forewings and hindwings of the same shade as the ground colour of the wings

Female :Upperside: slightly paler brown. Forewing: the cell and apex darker; a white spot similar to that in the male but larger, beyond the apex of the cell; in most specimens extended diffusely outwards and downwards. Hindwing: similar to that of the male. Underside: precisely as in the male.

SIMILAR SPECIES : 

Nil

LARVAL HOST PLANTS

Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceaehas been reported but plants are not important as larval hosts for this butterfly species since they are carnivorous on mealy bugs.

LIFE CYCLE

MORE IMAGES









Courtesy 

Write up:Wikipaedia
Images: TNHS

കേരള വനം വന്യജീവി വകുപ്പ്  
മാങ്കുളം ഡിവിഷൻ


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