Butterflies of
Thailand, Malaysia &
Borneo
Malay Yeoman
Cirrochroa emalea emalea
GUÉRIN-MÉNEVILLE,
1843
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
HELICONIINAE
Tribe - VAGRANTINI
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
|
 |
|
Cirrochroa emalea emalea,
Ulu Gerok, West Malaysia |
Introduction
The genus Cirrochroa comprises of
18 species, of which 15 occur in the Oriental region, plus 2 on
Papua New Guinea, and one on the island of Biak.
In the
Malaysian species orissa and
satellita the butterflies are
blackish brown above, with broad bands of yellowish orange. The
other 4 Malaysian species surya,
tyche, malaya,
and emalea are predominantly bright
orange, with the apex and wing borders marked in black. All of
these species have a very pale brownish undersurface, marked
with a whitish transverse band on both wings.
Cirrochroa emalea is a common
species, although usually only encountered in one's and two's at
most localities. During migrations however the butterfly can be
seen in much higher numbers.
The butterfly
is found on peninsular Malaya, Thailand, Sumatra, Borneo, Java
and Palawan.
Habitats
This species occurs in forest edge habitats at elevations
between sea level and about 800 metres.
Lifecycle
The only information I have about the lifecycle is that the
larvae have short, branched spines, and that at least one
Cirrochroa species feeds on
Hydnocarpus ( Achariaceae ).
Adult behaviour
The Malay Yeoman has a rapid but graceful flight, circling and
gliding in areas of dappled sunlight, before settling on
foliage, usually at a height of about 2 metres.
Males can sometimes also be seen imbibing moisture from forest
tracks. At such times they are decidedly fidgety, fanning their
wings nervously, and flitting from spot to spot. The male
depicted in the photograph above spent over half an hour
flitting back and forth between a log and a patch of moist soil
nearby, and despite being regularly disturbed by a pair of
camera-wielding entomologists it was extremely reluctant to move
away from it's favoured patch of ground.
|
