Oriental Common Grass Yellow

Eurema (Terias) hecabe hecabe (Linnaeus, 1758)-വാക പാപ്പാത്തി

Common Grass Yellow
 DRY FORM   Photo: Anila Manalil 

Malayalam Name:     വാക പാപ്പാത്തി
Family: Papilionidae
Sub Family: Papilioninae
Tribe : Papilionini
Order : Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moth)

DISTRIBUTION
Species found through out Asia, Africa and Australia. The Sub species hecabe  seen throughout India and Andaman.
STATUS
Common
HABITAT
open grass and scrub habitats
HABITS  
They are found flying close to the ground.Exhibits seasonal polyphenism. It has a darker summer morph, triggered by a long day exceeding 13 hours in duration, while the shorter diurnal period of 12 hours or less induces a fairer morph in the post-monsoon period. 
IDENTIFICATION FEATURES: Small sized yellow butterfly with wingspan 40–50mm. Similar in size with Common Emigrant, but with black Mottled marks.

Male : Underside (ventral surface): yellow, generally a slightly paler shade than that of the upperside, with the following reddish-brown markings. Forewing: two small spots or specks in basal half of cell and a reniform (kidney-shaped) spot or ring on the discocellulars. Hindwing: a slightly curved subbasal series of three small spots, an irregular slender ring or spot on the discocellulars, followed by a highly irregular, curved, transverse, discal series of spots or specks, some or all of which are often obsolescent

 LARVAL HOST PLANTS

Fabaceae species including  Acacia spp., Aeschynomene americana, Senna alata, S. tora, S. obtusifolia, Albizia spp., A. procera, A. saman, Caesalpinia mimosoides, C. pulcherrima, C. sappan, Cassia fistula, , Smithia conferta, S. sensitive, Mimosa pudica, Moullava spicata, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Pithecellobium dulce, Sesbania sesban, S. bispinosa, S. grandiflora 

 MORE IMAGES


Common Grass Yellow - side view -Dry FORM
Common Grass Yellow
Photographer: Anila Manalil

Common Grass Yellow
Photographer: Anila Manalil





 Courtesy 
Write up:Wikipaedia
Images: TNHS

കേരള വനം വന്യജീവി വകുപ്പ്  
മാങ്കുളം ഡിവിഷൻ

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