Butterflies of
Thailand, Malaysia &
Borneo
Psyche
Leptosia nina
FABRICIUS, 1793
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily - PIERINAE
Tribe -
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Leptosia nina,
Kuala Woh, West Malaysia �
Adrian Hoskins |
Introduction
The Psyche is also known by the delightful name
Wandering Snowflake - a term which describes this common and pretty
species very well. In Africa, other members of the genus are known
by the equally descriptive names Flip-Flop and Wood White - but
while they are similar in behaviour and appearance to the Wood
Whites of Europe, the latter are of a different genus
Leptidea, and are only very distantly
related, being members of the subfamily Dismorphiinae.
In
Roman mythology, Psyche was a beautiful girl who was visited each
night in the dark by Cupid, who told her she must not try to see
him. When she did try, while he was asleep, she accidentally dropped
oil from her lamp on him, and he awoke and fled. After she had
performed many harsh tasks set by Cupid's mother Venus, Jupiter made
her immortal, and she and Cupid were married. Her name Psyche is
Greek for both �soul� and �butterfly.�
There are 8 species
in the genus Leptosia, of which 7 are
restricted to forested areas of Africa and ( in the case of
alcesta and nupta
), Madagascar.
Leptosia nina is the only species found
outside Africa. It is found in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan,
Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, south China, Taiwan, the
Philippines, West Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo, Java and
Timor.
Habitats
This is a butterfly of open but sheltered grassy
places, including clearings in primary and secondary forest,
plantations, roadsides, parks, gardens, quarries, railways and waste
land. It is found at elevations from sea level to at least 1500
metres in the Himalayan foothills.
Lifecycle
The eggs are spindle-shaped, ribbed, pale green
in colour, and laid singly on young terminal leaves of the
foodplants.
The
caterpillar is green, glaucous and covered in short setae. It feeds
on various members of the Capparidaceae, primarily
Capparis, Cleome,
Crateva and Polanisia.
The chrysalis is
shaped like that of Eurema and
Gonepteryx. It has a buff or pale brown
thorax and abdomen, and pinkish wing cases. It is suspended from the
underside of a leaf, attached by the cremaster and secured with a
thin silken girdle.
Adult behaviour
Although they are
only distantly related, the flight and general behaviour of the
Psyche is strongly reminiscent of that of the European
Leptidea Wood Whites ( subfamily
Dismorphiinae ). The flight is feeble and erratic, bobbing
up and down as they
slowly and persistently flutter over the grasses, rarely ascending
above knee level. I have watched individuals spend over 10 minutes
flying in this manner, without ever pausing to settle.
The butterflies are
active mainly in early morning and again at dusk, preferring to fly
when light levels and temperatures are quite low. They also tend to
be more prevalent in humid conditions, and will fly in light rain on
overcast days.
Both sexes commonly
visit Vernonia and
Asystasia flowers for nectar, and on
dull days can often be found at roost on the flower heads. Males are
sometimes seen imbibing dissolved minerals from mud or from bird
droppings.
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