Butterflies of
the Indian
subcontinent
Common Crow
Euploea core
CRAMER, 1780
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
DANAINAE
Tribe - DANAINI
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Euploea core,
Mumbai, India
© Anand Narkevar |
Introduction
The
subfamily Danainae, which includes the Monarchs & Tigers, Nymphs and Crows,
comprises of about 190 species worldwide.
The genus Euploea is very
distinctive. All of the 59 known species are dark brown in colour,
and most have a double band of white spots on the underside of the
wings, and tiny white spots on the sides of the thorax. On the
upperside, males of most species have a deep blue or purple sheen,
but in Euploea core the upperside is
identical to the underside and lacks any sheen.
Euploea core is distributed from
India and Sri Lanka to south China, and via the Malay peninsula to
Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, Java, Bali, New Guinea and Australia.
Habitats
This species can be found in a wide variety of lowland habitats
including tropical rainforest, dry woodland, Acacia scrub, beach
hinterlands, parks and gardens.
Lifecycle
The eggs are laid singly
on the buds of the larval foodplants. A wide variety of plants are eaten by the
caterpillars including Ficus,
Streblus, Nerium,
Ichnocarpus, Hemidesmus,
Cryptolepis, Carissa,
Toxocarpus, Allemanda,
Parsonsia, Plumeria,
Rhyncospermum, Asclepias,
Hoya,
Trachelospermum,
Calotropis,
Gomphocarpus,
Brachystelma,
Marsdenia,
Sarcostemma,
Cryptostegia, Gymnanthera,
Secamone,
Stephanotis, Tylophora,
Adenium, Mandevilla,
Cynanchum,
Leichartia and
Gunnessia.
Adult behaviour
Males are often seen imbibing moisture from patches of damp
ground. They also visit decomposing fruit on the forest floor, and
in Sri Lanka I have seen clusters of males feeding on juices
exuded by dead snakes. Females are more commonly seen when
nectaring, and have a strong preference for the flowers of
Lantana.
At dusk the butterflies gather together in communal roosts -
typically of a dozen or so will cluster together, hanging from
twigs in semi-shaded situations. In the dry season, aestivating
roosts of a hundred or more butterflies can sometimes be found
along dry river courses in forested habitats.
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