Butterflies of
Thailand, Malaysia &
Borneo
Emerald Nawab
Polyura jalysus
FELDER & FELDER, 1867
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
CHARAXINAE
Tribe - CHARAXINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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Polyura jalysus,
Ulu Gerok,
West Malaysia |
Introduction
There are 24 species in the genus Polyura,
most of which are found in the Oriental region, although one
species posidonius is restricted to
Tibet and west China; 6 or 7 are endemic to various islands,
e.g. andrewsi from Christmas Island
and caphontis from Fiji; and one,
pyrrhus reaches Queensland in
Australia.
7
species occur in Malaysia -
athamas,
delphis, eudamippus,
hebe, jalysus,
moori and
schreiber.
The butterflies
are characterised by their distinctive wing shape with twin
tails on the hindwings, a feature strongly reminiscent of the
African Charaxes. Most have dark
brown uppersides with bands of dazzling creamy white which vary
in size and shape from one species to another. In the case of
jalysus the upperside bands are
yellowish and particularly large, while those on the underside
are a beautiful shade of pale emerald green.
Polyura
jalysus
is found in
Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, peninsular Malaysia,
Singapore, Sumatra, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and
Kalimantan.
Habitats
This species is found in forested areas at elevations between
sea level and about 300 metres.
Lifecycle
I have no data regarding jalysus,
but the lifecycle is likely to be similar to that of other
Polyura species.
The eggs will be spherical, probably yellow in colour., and laid
singly on the
underside of leaves of the foodplants.
The caterpillar
when fully grown will be green, and probably marked with one or
more pale dorsal bands. As with other
Polyura species it will have a large head with
a flat face, adorned with a crown of 4 impressive long horns.
The foodplants are likely to be primarily members of the Fabaceae.
The chrysalis will be green, probably streaked or marbled with white,
and will have a plump, rounded and compressed abdomen. It will
be attached by the cremaster to a twig or stem on or near the
foodplant.
Adult behaviour
Males are
scarcer than those of athamas, but
can sometimes be seen imbibing moisture from damp
sand, gravel, or road surfaces, often in the company of other
Polyura species. When feeding they are almost
oblivious of humans, but if deliberately disturbed they fly up
to settle on tree foliage nearby, and return as soon as they
sense danger has passed. The flight is very rapid and powerful.
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