Danaid Eggfly

Male Danaid Eggfly, Hypolimnas misippus

The Danaid Eggfly, Hypolimnas misippus photographed in a farm near Thurinjikuppam. This is a widely distributed butterfly belonging to the Nymphalidae family. This particular species is found across Africa, Asia, and Australia. The species is well known for polymorphism and Batesian mimicry. Males are blackish with distinctive white spots that are fringed in iridescent blue. Females are in multiple forms (polymorphism) that include male-like forms while others appear like the toxic Danaus chrysippus and Danaus plexippus butterfles (Batesian mimicry).

Larval host plants include species of Portulaca and Asystasia. The butterfly larva is black with a brick-red head furnished with two long black thick branched spines; the rest of the segments except the anal segment are provided with ten branched spines. The pupa is short and thick; light brown, variegated and streaked with dark brown, particularly towards the head and tail.

Common Gull Butterfly

Common Gull Butterfly, Cepora nerissa

Another common butterfly, the Common Gull, Cepora nerissa photographed in the Adyar Theosophical Society Gardens. This is a small to medium-sized butterfly, native to India which belongs to the Pieridae family (Yellows and Whites).

The Common Gull is white on the upperside with black wing margins and yellow with black markings on the underside. The colours are bright in the wet season form and dull in the dry season form. Please check out Dr. K. Saji’s remarkable series of photographs showing this butterfly’s life cycle.

St. Andrew’s Cotton Stainer

St. Andrew’s Cotton Stainer, Dysdercus andreae basking in the early morning sunlight

I photographed this attractive Cotton Stainer, belonging to the Dysdercus genus in the Adyar Theosophical Society Gardens (ATSG). The specimen was tentatively identified as the St. Andrew’s Cotton Stainer, Dysdercus andreae. Mating adults and nymphs are a fairly common sight in ATSG and can be found feeding on fallen Sterculia foetida fruits and in leaf litter. The Dysdercus genus belongs to the Pyrrhocoridae family of insects with more than 300 species world-wide.

They are part of the order Hemiptera which are also known as the ‘true bugs’. A few of the species belonging to the Dysdercus genus are agricultural pests. These insects are called cotton stainers because their red bodies get crushed when the cotton bolls on which they feed is harvested. Their feeding mechanism also cuts the cotton fibres and hence affects the growth of the cotton boll.

Greater Banded Hornet

Greater Banded Hornet, Vespa tropica wasps streaming out of the nest entrance

I had quite often spotted individual Greater Banded Hornets in Adyar Theosophical Society Gardens. However, it was only today that I saw the nest of these large, agressive vespid wasps. The nest was constructed on a wild date palm tree. It was about 0.5 metres in diameter with a nest entrance about 2.5 cm in diameter. The nest is made of chewed tree bark and looks as if it is made of rough cartridge paper.

Yet another Vespa tropica nest on a thorny tree

It was about 7 am in the morning and the nest entrance was busy with wasps coming in and going out for foraging. These wasps are very aggessive about defending their nests and it was with some trepidation that I went close to take photographs. I was also nervous about using the flash but the light was quite inadequate to get a good shot without using the flash. I had earlier encountered individual wasps in my childhood in Delhi and in Kerala. The wasps are medium sized, with the worker’s length being about 2.5 cm. The head is dark brown or red, the abdomen is black with a large distinctive orange-yellow stripe.

Blue Pansy Butterfly

Blue Pansy, Junonia orythia on Tridax flowerhead

Another common nymphalid butterfly photographed in Besant Nagar near the beach. The adults occur in open areas, often alighting on bare ground. This species has a stiff flap and glide style of flight and maintains a territory; aggessively driving away other butterflies that may enter it. It is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of about 4 to 5 cm. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism. The male displays a beautiful colour combination of blue and black, while the female is a purple-brown colour.

The blackish-brown larvae feed on a wide variety of host plants. Larval host plants are recorded from the families Acanthaceae, Annonaceae, Convolvulaceae, Labiatae, Plantaginaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Verbenaceae and Violaceae.

Hover Fly

Unidentified Hover Fly

A hover fly belonging to the family Syrphidae photographed on the farm near Thirupporur. Even identification to the generic level has proven to be difficult. As their common name suggests, they are seen hovering near flowers or feeding on nectar and pollen from flower. The fly larvae (maggots) eat a wide variety of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects. Aphid-feeding hoverflies are being recognized as important natural enemies of pests, and potential agents for use in biological control. Some adult Syrphid flies are important pollinators.

The Syrphid flies are a wide-spread group with more than 6000 described species. They are harmless to most other animals despite their mimicry of many wasps, which serves to ward off predators.

Common Pierrot

Another small but pretty Lycaenid butterfly photographed on the farm near Thirupporur. This is a widely distributed butterfly in India. It is white butterfly having black spots on the underside. Usually seen with its wings closed, the pied colouration is quite distinctive. The short threadlike tail or hairstreak is not very visible in this specimen. The central portion of the underside of the hind-wing has an area that lacks markings, which distinguishes it from other Pierrots.

Common Pierrot, showing typical hairstreaks

The larva is typically oniscoid (woodlouse form)and feeds on Zizyphus jujuba. The pupa is intensely glossy, as if covered with gum. Colouration is varied; sometimes black and at other times green with black markings (From Davidson, Bell & Aitken’s description).

Crimson-speckled Flunkey

Photographed this pretty moth while at the farm last week. This is a small (wingspan 29-42 mm) colourful tiger moth belonging to the family Arctiidae. Arctiidae is a large and diverse family of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species. This family includes tiger moths, which usually have bright colours, footmen (which are usually much drabber), lichen moths and wasp moths. Many species have ‘hairy’ caterpillars which are popularly known as woolly bears or woolly worms.

Utetheisa is a widespread genus and is found in Africa, Southern Europe, Central and Southern Asia and Australia.

Our farm uses sunn-hemp as a green manure (it is a nitrogen fixer) and the caterpillars of this moth feed on the leaves and pods of sunn-hemp. The hairy, banded catepillars are typical of the Arctiid family of moths.

Common Banded Peacock

Common Banded Peacock, Papilio crino meditating!

The Common Banded Peacock, Papilio crino is a handsome swallowtail butterfly which I was able to photograph during my visit to Thurinjikkuppam. This is a large showy butterfly which is found on the edge of forests in South India. The presence of this butterfly is indicative of an unspoiled pristine environment.  It is a powerful, swift and solitary flier and I had quite given up hopes about capturing a good photograph when I espied this specimen languidly sunning itself. The flashy iridescent blue or green of the flying butterfly is not so conspicuous in the sitting specimen. The colour is a shiny fluorescent blue or green depending on the angle of observation.

The fore wings are black. The whole wing is powdered or irrorated (= bedewed or covered with small grains — I love that beautiful word!) by green scales. In the middle of wing there is a greenish blue band. The underside is brown. The bigger part of wing is powdered by white scales. Next to the margin there is a white stripe. The hind wings are black and have tails. The margin is ridged. The whole wing is powdered by green scales. In the middle of wing there is a very broad green area. Next to the margin there is a green stripe. In back there is an orange and black eye. The top of tails are green.  The underside is brown. The whole wing is powdered by white scales. Next to the margin there is a chain of small yellow and blue spots. In back there is an orange and black eye. The body is black or dark brown. Furthermore the upside is powdered by green scales.

The female lays eggs on leaves of the Satinwood tree, Chloroxylon swietenia. 

Death’s-head Hawkmoth

Newly emerged Acherontia styx imago resting on Vitex tree trunk

I had chanced upon a pupa beneath the Vitex negundo tree in our garden on 29th August, 2010. It was dark brown and wriggled in my hands. I put it in a jar with a muslin cloth on top to allow breathing and decided to see what emerged. It looked like a Sphingid pupa and I was pleasantly surprised, when on 5th September, 2010, I discovered that a handsome Death’s-head Hawkmoth had emerged from the pupa.

I placed the adult moth on the Vitex tree trunk and photographed it. While handling it I heard it emit squeaking sounds. The light was very poor as it was early morning and I had to use the on-camera flash. After taking a few photographs, I noticed that the moth was fluttering its wings to warm its wing muscles. As I took the last photograph it flew away swiftly to the upper branches of a nearby silk cotton tree.

Acherontia styx warming up before takeoff!

This large hawkmoth, Acherontia styx belongs to the family, Sphingidae. Hawkmoths are moderate to large, stout but streamlined moths known for their rapid sustained flying ability. Some species are able to hover in midair like some hummingbirds.

Acherontia styx is a Sphingid moth found in Asia, one of the three species of Death’s-head Hawkmoths, also known as the Bee Robber. It is very fond of honey and bee keepers have reported to have found dead moths in their hives as a result of bee stings. They can mimic the scent of bees so that they can enter a hive unharmed to get honey. Their proboscis, which is stout and very strong, enables them to pierce the wax cells of the beehive and suck the honey out.

This moth is easily distinguishable from others by a vaguely skull-shaped pattern on its thorax.The adult has the typical streamlined wings and body of Sphingidae. The upper wings are brown with slight yellow wavy lines; the lower wings are yellow with some wide brown waves. It rests during the day on trees or in the litter, holding the wings like a tent over the body.

It has the ability to emit a loud squeak if irritated. The sound is produced by expelling air from its proboscis. It often accompanies this sound with flashing its brightly marked abdomen in a further attempt to deter its predators.