Butterflies of
Thailand, Malaysia &
Borneo
The Wizard
Rhinopalpa polynice
CRAMER, 1779
Family - NYMPHALIDAE
subfamily -
NYMPHALINAE
Tribe - VICTORINIINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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Rhinopalpa polynice, Taman Negara,
West Malaysia |
Introduction
The Wizard is the only member of the genus
Rhinopalpa. The genus gets its name from the pair of long
scaly palpi projecting from the butterfly's head.
Rhinopalpa polynice is found in
Assam, Myanmar, Thailand, West Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra,
Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java and Bali.
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Rhinopalpa polynice, Taman Negara,
West Malaysia |
Habitats
This species is found in lowland rainforest, including disturbed
areas around villages, and along roadsides, at elevations
between about 100-500 metres.
Lifecycle
The eggs are
laid singly on the larval foodplant
Poikilopserma suaveolens (
Urticaceae ).
The caterpillar
when fully grown is reddish-brown, marked with black spots along
the back and sides; and possesses a double row of long, barbed,
recurved spines along the back, and another row of similar
spines along each side. A pair of bristly tentacle-like long
curved processes project from the head.
The chrysalis
is a strange object, and resembles a curled up dead leaf. It is
pale brown, with darker spots and specks, and has 3 pairs of
horns along the back. The pair nearest the thorax are much
larger than the others, and are curved upward and backward, very
much like the horns of a cow.
Adult behaviour
Males are
occasionally seen in open sunlit areas, imbibing moisture from
the edges of ditches or small streams, with their wings held
erect. The butterfly depicted on this page was seen along a
narrow forest trail, appearing as soon as the sun emerged from
behind the clouds. The photograph at the top of the page was the
result of lucky timing on the part of the photographer - the
butterfly
spent several
minutes walking about over leaf litter on the forest floor, all
the time rapidly fanning its wings, and I was fortunate to catch
it at the moment the wings were fully open.
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