Butterflies of
Thailand, Malaysia &
Borneo
Cycad Blue
( Plains Cupid
)
Chilades pandava
HORSFIELD, 1829
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
POLYOMMATINAE
Tribe - POLYOMMATINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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Chilades pandava,
Taman Negara, West Malaysia |
Introduction
The genus Chilades comprises 9
African species, and 5 from the Oriental region. The butterflies
are closely allied to the Holarctic genus
Polyommatus - a fact demonstrated by similarities between the
male genitalia.
There are 2
species found in peninsular Malaysia -
pandava and lajus. The
latter has no tails, and is more heavily spotted on the
underside. It also lacks the orange markings found in
pandava. The males of both species
are violet-blue above, whereas their females are pale earthy
brown with a flush of silvery-blue scales on the basal half of
the wings.
Chilades pandava is a widespread
and fairly common species, found in Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar,
Thailand, West Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo and the
Philippines.
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Chilades pandava,
male, Taman Negara, West Malaysia |
Habitats
The Cycad Blue, as it's alternative name "Plains Cupid"
suggests, is confined to the lowlands, being found mainly in
gardens and parks, along roadsides, and other disturbed areas.
Lifecycle
Other
Chilades species feed as larvae on
a diverse range of plants including Acacia,
Heliotropium,
Indigofera, Andrachne and
Heliophorum, but
pandava is unusual in that it
feeds almost exclusively on the tender young fronds of
Cycas revoluta and other Cycads. These are a very ancient
group of seed plants, similar in appearance to palms, with a
crown of compound leaves and a stout trunk. They date back to
the Jurassic era when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Many cycad
species are now rare, but several including the "Sago Palm"
C. revoluta are commercially cultivated
and grown in gardens and city parks.
As a result of
cycad cultivation Chilades pandava
has the potential to spread either by migration or by accidental
introduction to many of the warmer parts of the world. In 2000
for example it was discovered on Mauritius, some 2500 miles from
it's native habitat, and rapidly became a pest of cultivated
cycads.
The eggs are greenish-white, lozenge-shaped and covered with a
coarse network of ridges. They are laid singly or dotted in
groups of up to six, either on the emerging fronds of the
foodplants, or attached to the edges of young leaves. The eggs
are sometimes parasitised by the miniscule wasp
Trichogrammatoidea guamensis.
The caterpillar when young is dark reddish-purple, but in the
later instars is bright green, with dark lines along the back and
sides, and a series of dark oblique sub-dorsal
markings. It has a rough textured skin, and a small glossy
black head that is partly retracted into the first thoracic
segment.
The larvae are
attended by ants which "milk" them by stroking a gland on the
back which produces a sugary secretion. In return the larvae
benefit from the protection afforded by the ants against
predatory insects. Several species of ant
are known to be involved including Prenolepis
longicornis, Monomorium speculare,
and unidentified members of the genera
Anoplolepis and Crematogaster.
The pupa is
formed on the ground, and is quickly buried by attendant ants.
Adult behaviour
The butterflies are usually seen in one's and two's, either
sitting on low foliage, or nectaring at the flowers of various
wild or cultivated herbaceous plants. Sometimes however they can
be quite abundant, with up to a dozen fluttering about at a
patch of flowers. At these times the males can be quite
aggressive towards each other, and appear to own and defend
territories.
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