| Lexias canescens | |
|---|---|
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| 1868 illustration | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Lexias |
| Species: | L. canescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Lexias canescens | |
| Synonyms | |
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Lexias canescens, the yellow archduke, is a species of butterfly belonging to the family Nymphalidae. It was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1869.
Lexias canescens has a wingspan of about 10 cm (3.9 in). These butterflies have dark brown and whitish or yellow-spotted upper surface of the wings, which is an efficient camouflage against predators. Caterpillars are pale green with long spinous bristles.
The male of Lexias canescens pardalina is rather similar to a small female of Lexias pardalis but the underside of its hindwings shows a yellow-washed color. [2]
Seitz-It is a small, insignificant species, differing from Lexias dirtea in having both sexes almost alike, but still resembling it in the red-brown palpi and the close resemblance of both sexes to the pattern of the female of E. dirtea F. The arrangement of the yellow spotting which varies on the different islands in which it occurs canascens canescens Btlr. (127 a) has the macular rows on the hindwings not always red-brown but usually pale clay-yellow. In the female the spots are larger, those in the median area of the forewing changing to white; moreover, the submarginal macular row of both wings is in the middle and at the anal angle also whitish.
Subspecies include: [3]
This species is present in Southeast Asia (Borneo, Peninsular Malaya, Singapore, Sumatra, Bangka Island, Sulu Islands, Belitung). [3] These butterflies inhabit tropical forests among undergrowth and on shaded trails.
Adults can be found year-round, with a peak from June to September. [5] They mainly feed on organic matter and rotting fruit.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .