Butterflies of
Thailand, Malaysia &
Borneo
Squarish Yellow
Dercas gobrias
HEWITSON, 1864
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily -
COLIADINAE
Tribe -
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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Dercas
gobrias herodorus,
Taman Negara, West Malaysia |
Introduction
From a distance
this butterfly can be mistaken for a
Gandaca or Eurema species,
but it can readily be distinguished from them by it's larger
size, serrated wings, squarish appearance, and very short
antennae.
There are 5
members of the genus Dercas -
verhuelli,
gobrias, lycorias,
nina and
enara. These are variously distributed from India to
southern China and Indonesia.
Dercas gobrias is the only species
found in West Malaysia. Dercas verhuelli
herodorus was for many years listed as a Malayan species,
but herodorus has now been
reclassified as a subspecies of gobrias
rather than of verhuelli.
Dercas verhuelli is found in India,
Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and southern China.
Dercas gobrias is found in
peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo and Java.
Habitats
This species occurs in rainforest and temperate evergreen forest
at altitudes between about 200-1500 metres.
Lifecycle
The larvae feed on
Dalbergia benthami.
Adult behaviour
Males are
usually seen singly, imbibing mineralised water from wet mud or
sand, usually very close to the water's edge. They are extremely
nervous, and if disturbed usually fly up to rest on tree foliage
until they sense it is safe to return to their feeding place.
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