Butterflies of
Thailand, Malaysia &
Borneo
Common Posy
Drupadia ravindra
HORSFIELD, 1829
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
THECLINAE
Tribe -
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
|
 |
|
Drupadia ravindra moorei,
Taman Negara,
West Malaysia |
Introduction
There are 12 species in the genus Ravindra,
11 of which occur on Borneo, and 10 in West Malaysia.
"The genus is
remarkable for the occurrence of pairs of species of which one
is comparatively large and has secondary sexual characters in
the male, and the lacks secondary sexual characters and, in both
sexes resembles a dwarf female of the larger species."
( Cowan, 1974 ).
The various
species all have long tails, and on the underside hindwings
feature a prominent pattern of black or brown markings on a
white background. The underside forewings are some shade of
brown or orange, depending on the species.
On the
upperside the males of most species are dark brown but this
colour is almost obscured by extensive metallic blue or purple
scales. The females lack the metallic sheen and are very dull by
comparison, although some such as theda
and niasica have patches of orange
on the forewings. Most species feature a large patch of white on
the outer area of the upperside hindwings.
Drupadia ravindra is the commonest
and the most beautiful of the genus. It produces several very
attractive subspecies such as boisduvalii
from Thailand, and caesarea from
Nias - the males of both of these have bright red patches on the
forewings, and hindwings covered in iridescent scales that
change hue from turquoise to sky blue depending on lighting
conditions and angle of view.
The Common Posy
is found on mainland Asia from Myanmar to West Malaysia and
Vietnam. It also occurs on most islands in Indo-China including
the Philippines, Palawan, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Bali and Nias,
but is not found east of the Wallace Line ( an imaginary line
described by the great explorer and naturalist Alfred Russell
Wallace, which separates the zoological regions of Asia from
those of Australia and Papua New Guinea ).
Habitats
This species, like other members of the genus, is found in
primary and secondary rainforest at altitudes between sea level
and about 600 metres.
Lifecycle
According to
Corbet & Pendlebury the butterfly has been bred in Malaysia on
Albizia falcata and
Derris scandens. Larvae have also
been found on other Fabaceae including
Saraca thaipingensis,
and are attended by
ants of the genus Pheidole.
When fully
grown the larva is a very pale olive colour, and has a reddish
brown dorsal stripe which widens considerably along the middle
segments, forming a diamond shaped saddle.
Adult behaviour
The butterflies
commonly settle on tree foliage at a height of 2-3 metres.
When at rest they usually hold their wings erect or slightly
apart, and oscillate their hindwings, causing the tails to
"wriggle", which draws the attention of predators to the tail of
the butterfly rather than it's head, diverting the attack and
often allowing the butterfly to escape with nothing worse than a
torn hindwing.
|
