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ommon Jay is a butterfly with a wingspan of 70 - 80 mm. This is
a black butterfly with a pale blue, semi - transparent central
band that is formed by large spots. There is a marginal series
of smaller spots. The underside of the wings is brown, with
markings similar to the upperside, but they are whitish. The
sexes look alike.
The Common Bluebottle is brighter blue and lacks the series of
marginal spots present in the Common Jay.
Status, Distribution and Habitat
The Common Jay is common in the thick, riparian, moist
deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen forests. It inhabits
primary as well as secondary forests, sometimes venturing into
forest plantations and orchards situated in the midst of
forests. It particularly frequents forest streams and rivers. It
is active throughout the year, but more so in the summer. It is
distributed at lower elevations in the Sri Lankan and southern
Indian forests, including suitable localities in the Eastern
Ghats and Satpuras. It extends to bengal and Assam in the east,
the himalayan foothills to the north and then throughout
southeast Asia.
Habits
This butterfly is active throughout the day, and constantly on
the move, so it is difficult to see it settled down. It has a
swift and straight flight and avoids no vegetation layer. Its
thorax is strong, so it rapidly beats its wings, not fully
lowering them in each beat. It can easily travel between the
ground and the canopy of the 40 m tall evergreen forests. The
resources of the adults are distributed throughout this vertical
range. They range from the mud-puddling sites of the males at
the forest streams to large shrubs such as Leea, to medium-sized
treees such as cinnamomum and large canopy trees. While feeding
from flowers, it keeps its wings vibrating, never fully settling
on the flowers.
The males gather at mud-puddling sites and usually form their
own species assemblages or join other swallowtail butterflies.
The group is a very tight one, so the members push against each
other in an effort to shift to spots in the surrounding of their
original positions. Before retiring in the evening, the
butterfly spends a prolonged period investigating and hovering
to choose a particular branch to sleep. At rest the wings are
closed over the back, but the hind wings do not cover the fore
wings.
Reproduction
The egg-laying behaviour is very similar to that of the Tailed
Jay. The habits and host plants of the caterpillar and place of
pupation are also similar.
The egg is spherical and pale yellow. The young larva lacks the
yellowish markings present on the back of the Tailed Jay. and
the white line above the prolegs is broader. The grown
caterpillar has two forms, It is either dark brown or grassy
green, with spines on the 4th segment short, conical and blue
centred. They are surrounded by broad lemon-yellow rings which,
in turn are surrounded by thin black rings. The osmererium is
pale bluish-green and extruded only reluctantly.
The pupa is pale green with a dark purplish median line from the
head to the thoracic horn and a yellow line from the tip of the
horn to the cremaster.
Larval Host Plants.
The caterpillars feed on Annona lawii, Cinnamomum macrocarpum,
Magnolia grandiflora, Michelia champaca, Miliusa tomentosum and
Polyalthia longifolia ( Annonaceae, Lauraceae, Magnoliaceae).
Graphium sarpedon Linneaus
Common Bluebottle is a butterfly with a wingspan of 80 - 90 mm.
The upperside is black with a greenish-blue central band. The
wings are pointed. The hind wings have a row of submarginal
crescent shaped blue spots. The underside of the wings is brown,
the blue band paler, with some red spots. The female is paler
with slightly broader wings. The Common Jay is pale blue, with
blue spots surrounding the central blue band.
Status, Distribution and Habitat
It occurs in the evergreen and semi-evergreen forests and is
very common on the forest paths, streamsides and edges. It is
found mainly at low elevations but may be seen up to 2,300 m in
the Himalayas. It occurs in southern India in the Western Ghats
and in the himalayas from Kashmir eastwards. Its global
distribution extends over the oriental and Australian regions.
Habits
The Common Bluebottle is a nervous butterfly, settling seldom
and only momentarily. It flies fast with rapid wingbeats.
Although it occurs in all the vegetation layers, it spends most
of its time in the canopy of the tall forest trees. It feeds on
nectar, similar to the tailed jay, it visits flowers hurriedly
and its wings quiver, in order to balance and move the body,
while feeding. The males congregate in large numbers for mud-puddling.
they also come readily to natural baits such as rotting insects.
Reproduction
The egg is yellowish, laid singly on the leaves of the host
plants. The young larva is black or dark green with many spines.
the grown up larva is green with a pair of short spines on each
thoracic segment and the last segment. There is a yellow
transverse band on the 4th segment, and a lateral band on the
body. the caterpillar usually lies in the middle of the leaf on
the upper surface and is very sluggish. The pupa is green with a
slender and pointed thoracic projection, yellowish wint-cases
and lateral bands.
Larval Host Plants
The caterpillars feed on plants of family Lauraceae and
Annonaceae. The plants include Alseodaphne semecarpiflolia,
Cinnamimum camphora, Cinnamomum macrocarpum, Cinnamomum
malabatrum, litsea chinensis, Miliusa tomentosa, Polyalthia
longifolia and Persea macrantha.
Crimson Rose
Scientific Name :- Pachliopta hector Linnaeus
Crimson Rose is a butterfly with a wingspan of 90 - 110 mm. The
crimson Rose is a large, glossy, black butterfly with two broad
white bands on the fore wings. The tailed hind wings hae bright
crimson spots. The uppersides and undersides of the wings are
similar in markings. The body is a gaudy crimson in colour. the
femaleis somewhat dull.
The Common Rose has elongated white spots ont he hind wing, but
lacks the white bands on the fore wing. The form romulus of the
Common Mormon female, a mimic of the Crimson Rose, has a black
body, is smaller in size and duller in colour.
Status, Distribution and Habitat
Crimson Rose butterfly is very common south of the Godavari
river and mainly at lower elevations. Its range extends along
the coast of Orissa, South Bihar and West Bengal into Sikkim and
parts of northeast India. It is abundant from late monsoon to
late winter, but may be found in smaller numbers throughout the
year. It occurs mainly in the dry deciduous forests and thick
scrub, but may also be found in disturbed semi-evergreen and
evergreen forests. This is a species restricted to mainland
India and Sri Lanka, although it has also been recorded from
eastern Myanmmar and Andaman Islands.
Habits
Like the Common Rose, the Crimson Rose has a a slow, fluttering
but steady flight, However, it flies slightly faster, stronger
and at a greater height from the ground.
It is a regular visitor of flowers, and nectar probably plays a
decisive role in its egg-production. The higher intake of nectar
may be augmenting egg production. the flowers of Lantana, a
shrub which has now infested vast patches in disturbed dry and
moist deciduous forests of southern India, is its favourite
nectar plant. the butterfly is very common wherever large
patches of flowering Lantana Occur.
It basks with its wings spread flat. Sometimes small
congregations of basking individuals may be formed, often at 10
- 15 m up in the trees. While resting, the fore wings are
half-drawn between the hind wings. the butterfly sleeps on
slanting, outstreached branches of shrubs, small trees, etc.
It has strong migratory habits. Massive congregations of up to
several thousand individuals may be found at the end of the peak
season for the species. These then migrate to other areas.
Reproduction
It is similar to the Common Rose. The caterpillar is
purplish-black or blackish-brown with a black head and orange
osmeterium. The body is fat, with orange-red tubercles, and a
transverse yellowish-white band on segments 6 to 8 is very
prominent.
The pupa is pinkish-brown with darker, expanded wing-cases. the
wing-like expansions on the abdomen are distinctive.
Length of Caterpillar: 45 mm. Length of pupa: 30 mm.
Larval Host Plants
The caterpillars feed on Aristolochia bracteolata, Aristolochia
indica and Thottea siliquosa ( Aristolochiaceae ).
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