Butterflies of
Thailand, Malaysia &
Borneo
Common Caerulean
Jamides celeno
CRAMER, 1775
Family -
LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
LYCAENINAE
Tribe - POLYOMMATINI
subtribe -
POLYOMMATITI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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Jamides
celeno, ( wet season form ) Taman Negara, West Malaysia |
Introduction
Members of the tribe
Polyommatini are characterised by being small in size, and marked on the
underside with a pattern of small spots or striations. The uppersides of males
are in most species covered in metallic blue scales, while females are
predominantly dull earthy brown in colouration.
The tribe has worldwide
distribution and contains such familiar species as the Long-tailed Blue Lampides boeticus,
Holly Blue
Celastrina argiolus,
African Tiger Blues
Tarucus
spp., and Oriental genera including
Castalius, Zizeeria, Nacaduba
and Jamides.
The
genus Jamides
contains about 30 species, all of which carry a distinctive underside pattern
comprised of white or buff striations on a greyish-brown ground colour. All the
species also bear an orange-edged black spot at the tornus, and a single thin
tail. Males have bluish uppersides, which vary from pale silvery blue in celeno
to vivid ultramarine, purple or turquoise in various other species. Females are
similar to the males, but the apex and outer margins of their forewings are dark
brown or black in most species.
Jamides
celeno is the
commonest and most widespread member of the genus, occurring in Sri Lanka,
India, Assam, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Taiwan, the
Philippines, Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea.
Jamides
celeno, ( dry season form ) Orissa, India
( image
© Haraprasan Nayak )
Habitats
This species breeds in
disturbed evergreen and deciduous forest habitats at altitudes between sea level
and about 1600m.
Lifecycle
The fully grown
larvae are a dingy reddish-olive colour, and covered with minute white
tubercles. They feed on the foliage of various plants including Trichilia, Pueraria
and Saraca
( Leguminosae ), and are attended by ants of several species, which milk them to
obtain a sugary secretion.
Adult behaviour
Both sexes are commonly seen
flying around flowering bushes in forest-edge habitats including
gardens, roadsides, railway cuttings and archaeological sites.
They often rest on foliage at heights between about 1 - 3 metres,
choosing bushes in dappled sunlight.
Males are frequently seen
imbibing mineralised moisture from damp soil and leaf-litter on
the forest floor. When feeding the head is always dipped. The
pattern of white striations diverts the eyes of avian predators
away from the real head, and towards the orange-rimmed back
ocellus and "false-antennae" tails. Attacking birds aim their
beaks towards the area in which they predict a butterfly will try
to make it's escape, i.e. in front of the head. The markings on
the wings fool them into aiming just behind the butterfly instead,
and the insect makes it's escape in the opposite direction.
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