Grass Demon

Udaspes folus (Cramer, [1775]) 


Malayalam Name

:

ഇഞ്ചി ചാത്തൻ

Order

:

Lepidoptera

Family

:

Hesperiidae

Sub-family

:

Hesperiinae

Sub species

:

Udaspes folus 

common names

:

Grass Demon

DISTRIBUTION: Species distributed in India and Nepal

STATUS: It is regarded as an occasional pest of ginger and turmeric plants

HABITAT: . 


HABITS

IDENTIFICATION  FEATURES

Male. Upperside black, the basal half of both wings covered with minute yellowish scales, markings pure white, semi-hyaline. Forewing with a large white spot filling up the end of the cell, two similar conjoined spots outwardly below it extending from beneath vein 4 to the sub-median vein, hardly separated from each other by vein 2; four conjugated sub-apical spots, the uppermost one minute, two similar spots below them nearer the outer margin, a small spot between these and the two large conjoined spots. Hindwing with a very large medial white patch with its margin sinuous all round; abdominal area covered with yellowish hairs. Underside paler. Forewing with the markings as on the upperside. Hindwing with the white medial patch extending to the abdominal margin from near the costa to one-third above the anal angle, the extension suffused with grey, also extending narrowly to the outer margin, double blackish-brown lunular marks, within the white space at the bases of the sub-median nervules. Cilia blackish, alternated with white. Antennae black; palpi, head and body concolorous with the wings, whitish on the underside, legs brown above, whitish beneath. Female like the male, but the spots are larger.

SIMILAR SPECIES

LARVAL HOST PLANTS

Fagraea racemosa (Gentianaceae). Maranta arundinacea (Marantaceae). Oryza spp. (Poaceae). Zingiberaceae spp., Alpinia calcarata, Alpinia purpurata, Curcuma amada, Curcuma aromatica, Curcuma caesia, Curcuma decipiens, Curcuma longa, Curcuma neilgherrensis, Curcuma pseudomontana, Elettaria cardamomum, Hedychium spp., Hedychium coronarium, Hellenia speciosa (=Costus speciosus), Zingiber spp., Zingiber nimmonii, Zingiber officinale, Zingiber purpureum, Zingiber zerumbet (Zingiberaceae).

MORE IMAGES 













Courtesy 

Write up:Wikipaedia
Images: TNHS & iFoundbutterfly.org

കേരള വനം വന്യജീവി വകുപ്പ്  
മാങ്കുളം ഡിവിഷൻ

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oriental Striped Tiger

Image
Danaus genutia genutia (Cramer, [1779]) Malayalam Name  : വരയൻ കടുവ Family  : Nyphalidae Sub-family              : Danainae Tribe                      :  Leptociaini Order : Lepidoptera DIST RIBUTION                   Pe STATUS:    No HABITAT This butterfly occurs in scrub jungles, fallowland adjacent to habitation, dry and moist deciduous forests, preferring areas of moderate to heavy rainfall. Also occurs in degraded hill slopes and ridges, both, bare or denuded, and, those covered with secondary growth HABITS Members of this genus are leathery, tough to kill and fake death. Since they are unpleasant to smell and taste, they are soon released by the predators, recover and fly off soon thereafter. The butterfly sequesters toxins from plants of the family  Asclepiadaceae . The butterflies also congregate with othe...
Read more

Sahyadri Paris Peacock

Image
Papilio paris tamilana Moore, 1881- ചുട്ടി മയൂരി Malayalam Name  :   ചുട്ടി  മയൂരി Family  : Papilionidae Sub-family              : Papilioninae Tribe                      :   Leptocircini Order : Lepidoptera DISTRIBUTION: The species found throughout S outh East Asia and India. the subspecies found in South India   STATUS: Common HABITAT:  Territorial, male patrolling the territory frequently, Mud puddling IDENTIFICATION FEATURES:  Black butterfly with  with  100–140 mm  wings span. Upperwings are black and sprinkled with irridiscent dark green scales, which on the outer portion of the forewing coalesce and form an incomplete postdiscal narrow band which is straighter than the similar subterminal band on the forewing of Common Banded Peacock. On the hindwing,; a conspicuous upper discal shining blue patch occupies the base of interspace...
Read more

Northern Lime Swallowtail

Image
Papilio demoleus demolius (Linnacus 1758)   നാരകശലഭം   Photo: Anila Manalil Malayalam Name          :      നാരകശലഭം   Family                           :     Papilionidae Sub-family                    :     Papilioninae Tribe                             :     Papilionini Order                            :     Lepidoptera DISTRIBUTION It is distributed throughout South and Ssoutheast Asia and is common every where. STATUS Very common  HABITAT This species is perhaps found in more diverse habitats than any other Swallowtails. Its habitat range from savannas, fallow lands and gardens to semi-evergreen a...
Read more