Project butterfly Mankulam Division

Papilio buddha  ( Westwood 1872)  Malayalam Name:  ബുദ്ധ മയൂരി Common Name: Malabar Banded Peacock Order : Lepidoptera Super family: Papilionoidae (Butterflies) Family: Papilionidae Sub family: Papilioninae DISTRIBUTION The species is endemic to the Western Ghats. STATUS State Butterfly of Kerala. Not common,  but locally abundant in some areas having host plants. HABITAT Restricted mainly to the lowland evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. HABITS The Malabar Banded Peacock is the most beautiful butterfly in peninsular India. Mostly flies among the tree-tops. active during the noon and afternoon, flies fast and straight and the female are rarely seen as they probably spent most of their time in denser forests. IDENTIFICATION FEATURES Wingspan 90-100mm.  Black butterfly with a broad metalic blue band on the upper side of the wings which forms a V shape . The underside of the wings is black without a trace white spots, a lateral white band from segments 5-6 to ...

Papilio crino  (Fabricius  1793)  നാട്ടുമയൂരി Malayalam Name  :   നാട്ടുമയൂരി Family  : Papilionidae Sub-family              : Papilioninae Tribe                      :   Leptocircini Order : Lepidoptera DISTRIBUTION:  The species found in   Indian sub continent STATUS:  Not Common HABITAT:  lowland mixed deciduous forest as well as hot drier jungles up to 900 m HABIT:  IDENTIFICATION FEATURES:    Black butterfly with  with  100–140 mm  wings span. The forewing has the discal transverse bluish-green band  decreasing in width towards the costal margin; in the female it is more sinuous than in the male. The hindwing has the transverse bluish-gre...

Graphium nomius ,  nomius (Esper 1799)  പുള്ളി വാൾവാലൻ Malayalam Name  : പുള്ളി വാൾവാലൻ   Family  : Papilionidae Sub-family              : Papilioninae Tribe                      :   Leptocircini Order : Lepidoptera DISTRIBUTION: The species found in South and Southeast Asia.   STAUUS :     Not Rare HABITAT: The Spot Swordtail is most common in the dry summer months and in deciduous forests. It occurs more commonly along streams-beds or other moist places in the forest. HABIT  It is powerful flier . It settle on wet sand in the forest streams to mudpuddle. It flies in the most hurried manner, swift and straight. It is very restless by nature and even while drinking its wings quiver. Its flight course consists of slight ups and down, which becomes more erratic if the flight is disturbed. It visits flowers of shrubs and large trees. It basks...

Graphium agamemnon menides (Fruhstorfer, 1904)  വിറവാലൻ                                                                                                               Photo Baiju K Malayalam Name  :   വിറവാലൻ Family  : Papilionidae Sub-family              : Papilioninae Tribe                      :   Leptocircini Order : Lepidoptera DISTRIBUTION             It is distributed in the entire Indian subcontinent as well as part of south east Asia. STATUS     :    Common HABITAT             Common in open country on the ...