Project butterfly Mankulam Division

Curetis siva Evans, 1954 Malayalam Name  : ശിവ സൂര്യശലഭം Order : Lepidoptera Family  : Lycaenidae Sub-family    : Curatinae Other names : DISTRIBUTION             India, Srilanka,Malasia. In India it is restricted in Western Ghats STATUS: Endemic to Western Ghats    HABITAT:  HABITS IDENTIFICATION  FEATURES Wing Span: 35-40 mm Orange butterfly with thick black margins. The orange patch is not circular as in Acute Sunbeam and look like ape face. It can be distinguished by the underside hindwing stria in space 6 almost in line with stria in space 5. Female with white areas SIMILAR SPECIES    LARVAL HOST PLANTS Ougeinia oojeinensis (Desmodium oojeinense)( Fabaceae) LIFE CYCLE MORE IMAGES Courtesy  Write up:Wikipaedia Images: TNHS കേരള വനം വന്യജീവി വകുപ്പ്   മാങ്കുളം ഡിവിഷൻ

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. S exually 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 refl...

Curetis thetis (Drury, [1773]  Male Malayalam Name  : സൂര്യശലഭം Order : Lepidoptera Family  : Lycaenidae Sub-family    : Curatinae Other names : DISTRIBUTION             Indo-Malayan Realm STATUS: Not rare HABITAT:  HABITS IDENTIFICATION  FEATURES Wing Span: 40-48cm Male:  Forewing with big dark cupreous red patch which is in triangular shape with narrow balck margin., the inner edge of the black is acutely angulated. Hindwing: base and dorsum broadly but slightly irrorated (sprinkled) with dusky scales; costa narrowly, dorsal margin more broadly pale; termen very narrowly and evenly margined with black Underside: shining silvery white. Forewings and hindwings crossed transversely by discal and inner subterminal, somewhat lunular dark lines and a more or less obsolescent outer subterminal line of minute dark dots. These markings are generally very indistinct but traceable; in some specim...