Butterflies of
Thailand, Malaysia &
Borneo
Psyche
Leptosia nina
FABRICIUS, 1793
Family - PIERIDAE
subfamily - PIERINAE
Tribe -
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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Leptosia nina,
Kuala Woh,
West Malaysia |
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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