Acute Sunbeam/Angled Sunbeam

Curetis acuta dentata Moore, 1877 

Malayalam Name     

:

ദന്ത സൂര്യശലഭം

Common Name

;

Indian Acute Sunbeam/ Angled Sunbeam

Order 

:

Lepidoptera

Super Family            

:

Papilionoidae (Butterflies)

Family              

: 

Lycaenidae

Sub Family

:

Curetinae

DISTRIBUTION :  Indo-Malayan realm. Subspecies found in India.

STATUS: Common

HABITAT : 

HABITS :

IDENTIFICATION  FEATURES: 

Medium -sized butterfly with wingspan of 35 to 45 mm. Sexually dimorphic, The reflection of light by silver ventral wings plays a role of signalling during flight, camouflage while at rest or during hibernation, and lowering body temperatures by reflecting the sunlight.

Male: Upper side: Forewing orange coloured with broad black margins, the inner border of the black margin almost evenly rounded,; a black spot at the end of the cell running into the costal black band; Hindwing with greenish-brown irrorations at the base and broadly on the abdominal area; a black streak along the upperside of the sub-costal nervure from the base to the middle.

Underside white, bands grey, more distinct, more complete and broader than in the other Indian forms. Cilia orange, with some white at the tips on the upper part of the hindwing.

Female. Upperside white. Forewing with the bands as in the male, the basal irrorations blackish-brown. Hindwing with the streak from the base paler and broader, with some blackish-brown suffusions and irrorations hindwards, joining the blackish-brown irrorations of the abdominal area, the outer marginal band broader than in the male, paler and more diffuse, broadening greatly downwards until it is lost in the irrorations of the abdominal area.

SIMILAR SPECIES : 


LARVAL HOST PLANTS

Pongamia pinnata, Butea monosperma (Fabaceae).

LIFE CYCLE

MORE IMAGES

Male
female

female

underside


Courtesy 

Write up:Wikipaedia
Images: TNHS

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

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

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