Talicada nyseus

Last updated

Red Pierrot
Red Pierrot kollam.resized.JPG
Red Pierrot 6537.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Talicada
Species:
T. nyseus
Binomial name
Talicada nyseus
(Guerin, 1843)

Talicada nyseus, the red Pierrot, [1] [2] is a small but striking butterfly found in the Indian subcontinent [1] and South-East Asia belonging to the lycaenids, or blues family. [2] The red Pierrots, often found perching on its larva host plant, Kalanchoe , [3] are usually noticed due to their striking patterns and colors.

Contents

Description

The butterfly has a wingspan of 3 to 3.5 cm. The upperside of its wings are black except for a large orange portion of the lower edge of the hindwing. [4]

On the underside, the forewing is white with black spots more toward the margin. The hindwing is very striking, it is white with black spots toward the base and the margin has a wide band of orange with white spots. There is a lot of variation found in the blacks spots on the hindwings. [4] [5]

Technical description

Males and females. Upperside: black or brownish black, in fresh specimens in certain lights with a dull purplish flush. Fore wing: uniform, with a very slender thread-like edging of white to the costa. Hindwing: a large conspicuous orange-red patch on the posterior terminal half of the wing between the dorsum and vein 7; this patch does not extend quite to the termen but leaves a narrow edging of the black ground-colour which is produced inwards in short conical projections in interspaces 2 to 5. Cilia of both fore and hind wings chequered with black and white alternately. Underside: silvery white. Forewing: a quadrate spot on the discocellulars, a broad transverse discal band and the terminal third of the wing jet-black; the discal band is irregular, dislocated on vein 3, the posterior portion shifted inwards and joined onto the black area on the posterior terminal third of the wing by projections of black on the dorsum, along veins 3 and between veins 4 and 5; the black area on terminal third of the wing encloses a transverse postdiscal series of small round and a subterminal transversely near series of spots of the white ground-colour. Hind wing: two spots near base, a subbasal transverse series of three spots, a medial similar series of four somewhat elongate spots and a transverse short postdiscal bar between veins 4 and 6, jet-black; terminal third of the wing above vein 7 jet-black, below that vein deep orange-red, the whole area (both the black and the red) medially traversed by a transverse curved series of round spots of the white ground-colour and margined outwardly by a series of transverse, very short and very slender lines of the same in the interspaces; anteciliary line black. Cilia of both fore and hind wings chequered as on the upperside; a short filamentous tail at apex of vein 2 black, tipped white. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black, shafts of the antennae ringed with white; beneath: palpi, thorax and abdomen while. [4]

—  Bingham, C.T., 1907

Range

Himalayan foothills, North India, South India, Meghalaya, Assam, Sri Lanka and North Myanmar. [1] [2] [4]

Status

They are widely distributed in peninsular India, and have been recorded from many localities in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, and Odisha. They are also found in the hilly regions of northeastern India and northern Myanmar. Studies suggest that they may be on the way to colonizing the foothills of the Himalayas due to changes in the habitat. [6]

Habitat

They are found in semi-arid plains, degraded patches of evergreen patches, and semi-evergreen forest, garden, hill stations and forests—in fact, wherever its food plant, Kalanchoe , is abundant. It is found from the plains up to 8,000 feet.[ citation needed ]

Habits

A red Pierrot Feeding at Garware College, Pune, India Red Pierrot (Talicada nyseus) - Nectaring.jpg
A red Pierrot Feeding at Garware College, Pune, India

The red Pierrot is a weak flier, and flutters about close to the ground. It flies in short bursts and settles often but not for very long. It basks with its wings half open, but prefers shade to sun, and jungle or undergrowth to open areas. It keeps on the wing almost till dark when it settles on the undersides of leaves and twigs often in company. It is sluggish early in the morning and late in the evening. It visits flowers of herbs, especially of the families Amaranthaceae and Acanthaceae, for nectar. It visits both ornamental and wild flowers and varieties of Alternanthera are among its favourites.

It always sits with its wings closed to display the bright markings of its undersides. It fearlessness, weak flight and distinctive markings all indicate that it is a protected butterfly, which is peculiar considering that its host plants are not known to contain any sequestrable toxins.

There is a mention in literature of the species being found at lights at night, however such phenomena are usually restricted to species that are crepuscular and this occurrence may be incidental. [7] [8]

Life history

It is not a common butterfly, but near its food plant, Kalanchoe , it is found in abundance and is gregarious in all its stages.

Single egg laid on Kalanchoe leaf. NK001 Talicada nyseus egg.jpg
Single egg laid on Kalanchoe leaf.

Egg

The female lays eggs on the underside of a leaf. They are light green ellipsoid-shaped small egg. Young and old leaves are selected without discrimination as the leaves of Kalanchoe are thick and succulent during all stages.

Caterpillar

The caterpillar is pale yellow to a dirty white, and flattened with large, jet black spiracles. The entire body is covered with tiny white setae or bristle-like hair.

This caterpillar is a leaf miner by habit and this serves as its defense. As soon as it hatches it bores into the leaf and will spend the rest of its life between the epidermal layers of the leaf. Occasionally it will change leaves.

Caterpillar of red Pierrot seen changing leaves. NK002 Talicada nyseus caterpillar on Kalanchoe.jpg
Caterpillar of red Pierrot seen changing leaves.

The caterpillar tunnels through the entire leaf in a neat winding manner so as to make sure to consume the entire leaf. It leaves a black trail within that is filled with droppings. The caterpillar can only be seen when it is changing leaves or when it comes to the surface to pupate.

Onisciform, but much rounded, and with the segments at the divisions very clearly defined; head small, almost concealed; last segment flattened. It is in colour fleshy-white, with a row of nine small black dots along the back on each side and a ring of four similar dots on the segment nearest the head; it is profusely covered with small white hairs. It feeds in the interior of the fleshy leaves of Bryophyllum calycinum, only emerging in order to turn into a pupa.

— Davidson, Bell and Aitken quoted in Bingham [4]

Pupa

At the time of pupation the caterpillar comes out of the leaf and weaves a silk pad and a tight body band and then moults to form the pupa. The pupa can be either on the under or upper surface of the leaf. It is yellow and covered with long light hairs. The pupa is also marked with numerous black spots all over the body.

... much resembles the larva, being short and stout and blunt and covered with short-white hair. It is of the same fleshy colour as the larva and has two lines of small black dots along the surface of the abdomen continued along the thorax. It also has a third row of four similar dots on the middle of the abdomen between them; the two dots on the thorax nearest the head are also connected by two other dots.

— Davidson, Bell and Aitken quoted in Bingham [4]

Food plants

The larval host plants are Kalanchoe laciniata and K. pinnata of the family Crassulaceae (stonecrop family); the latter host being a common garden plant. [3] Adult butterflies have sometimes been seen to visit lichens. Studies suggest that they collect phenolic substances by scraping lichens. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Euploea core</i> Species of butterfly

Euploea core, the common crow, is a common butterfly found in South Asia to Australia. In India it is also sometimes referred to as the common Indian crow, and in Australia as the Australian crow. It belongs to the crows and tigers subfamily Danainae.

<i>Leptosia nina</i> Species of butterfly

Leptosia nina, the psyche, is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae and is found in Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia and Australia. The upper forewing has a black spot on a mainly white background. The flight is weak and erratic and the body of the butterfly bobs up and down as it beats its wings. They fly low over the grass and the butterfly rarely leaves the ground level.

<i>Graphium antiphates</i> Species of butterfly

Graphium antiphates, the five-bar swordtail, is a species of papilionid butterfly found in south and southeast Asia. The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1775.

<i>Graphium sarpedon</i> Species of butterfly

Graphium sarpedon, the common bluebottle or blue triangle in Australia, is a species of swallowtail butterfly that is found in South and Southeast Asia, as well as eastern Australia. There are approximately sixteen subspecies with differing geographical distributions.

<i>Belenois aurota</i> Species of butterfly

Belenois aurota, the pioneer or pioneer white or caper white, is a small to medium-sized butterfly of the family Pieridae, that is, the yellows and whites, which is found in South Asia and Africa. In Africa, it is also known as the brown-veined white, and is well known during summer and autumn when large numbers migrate north-east over the interior.

<i>Papilio polymnestor</i> Species of butterfly

Papilio polymnestor, the blue Mormon, is a large swallowtail butterfly found in south India and Sri Lanka. It is the "state butterfly" of the Indian state of Maharashtra. With a wingspan of 120–150 mm, it is the fourth largest butterfly of India.

<i>Lamproptera curius</i> Species of butterfly

Lamproptera curius, the white dragontail, is a species of swallowtail butterfly native to parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia where it is common. It belongs to the dragontails genus, Lamproptera, of the swallowtail family, Papilionidae.

<i>Discolampa ethion</i> Species of butterfly

Discolampa ethion, the banded blue Pierrot, is a contrastingly marked butterfly found in South Asia that belongs to the blues or family Lycaenidae. The species was first described by John O. Westwood in 1851.

<i>Athyma selenophora</i> Species of insect (butterfly)

Athyma selenophora, the staff sergeant, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in tropical and subtropical Asia.

<i>Catopsilia pomona</i> Species of butterfly

Catopsilia pomona, the common emigrant or lemon emigrant, is a medium-sized pierid butterfly found in Asia, Cambodia and parts of Australia. The species gets its name from its habit of migration. Some early authors considered them as two distinct species Catopsilia crocale and Catopsilia pomona.

<i>Catopsilia pyranthe</i> Species of butterfly

Catopsilia pyranthe, the mottled emigrant, is a medium-sized butterfly of the family Pieridae found in south Asia, southeast Asia, and parts of Australia.

<i>Polyura schreiber</i> Species of butterfly

Polyura schreiber, the blue nawab, is a butterfly species found in tropical Asia. It belongs to the Charaxinae in the brush-footed butterfly family (Nymphalidae). It occurs from south India and Assam through Myanmar, Tenasserim, and Southeast Asia to southern China and to Java, Indonesia.

<i>Jamides bochus</i> Species of butterfly

Jamides bochus, the dark cerulean, is a small butterfly found in Indomalayan realm that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by Caspar Stoll in 1782.

<i>Jamides celeno</i> Species of butterfly

Jamides celeno, the common cerulean, is a small butterfly found in Indomalayan realm belonging to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1775.

<i>Junonia hierta</i> Species of butterfly

Junonia hierta, the yellow pansy, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in the Palaeotropics. It is usually seen in open scrub and grassland habitats.

<i>Tanaecia lepidea</i> Species of butterfly

Tanaecia lepidea, the grey count, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia.

<i>Dophla evelina</i> Species of butterfly

Dophla evelina, the red-spot duke, is a species of brush-footed butterfly found in Cambodia and South and Southeast Asia. Many subspecies are accepted. The species was first described by Caspar Stoll in 1790.

<i>Cethosia nietneri</i> Species of butterfly

Cethosia nietneri, the Tamil lacewing, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in Sri Lanka and south India. The species name is after John Nietner who obtained specimens of the butterfly from Ceylon from which it was described.

<i>Apporasa</i> Monotypic butterfly genus in family Lycaenidae

Apporasa is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae, the blues. The genus is monotypic containing only Apporasa atkinsoni, the crenulate oakblue. It is found in the Indomalayan realm.

<i>Calinaga buddha</i> Species of butterfly

Calinaga buddha, the freak, is a species of butterfly in the Calinaginae subfamily that is found in parts of Southeast Asia, China and in India.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Varshney, R.K.; Smetacek, Peter (2015). A Synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India. New Delhi: Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal & Indinov Publishing. p. 137. doi:10.13140/RG.2.1.3966.2164. ISBN   978-81-929826-4-9.
  2. 1 2 3 Savela, Markku. "Talicada nyseus (Guérin-Méneville, 1843)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Ravikanthachari Nitin; V.C. Balakrishnan; Paresh V. Churi; S. Kalesh; Satya Prakash; Krushnamegh Kunte (2018-04-10). "Larval host plants of the buterfies of the Western Ghats, India". Journal of Threatened Taxa. 10 (4): 11495–11550. doi: 10.11609/jott.3104.10.4.11495-11550 – via JoTT.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 PD-icon.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : Bingham, C.T. (1907). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Vol. II (1st ed.). London: Taylor and Francis, Ltd. pp. 376–377.
  5. ↑ PD-icon.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : Swinhoe, Charles (1905–1910). Lepidoptera Indica. Vol. VII. Vol. 7. London: Lovell Reeve and Co. pp. 276–277.
  6. ↑ Singh, A. P. (2005) Initial colonization of Red Pierrot butterfly, Talicada nyseus nyseus Guerin (Lycaenidae) in the lower western Himalayas: An indicator of the changing environment. Current Science 89(1):41-42 PDF
  7. ↑ Usman, S., 1956. Some insects attracted to light. Part III. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 53: 482-484
  8. ↑ Donahue, Julian P. 1962 Observations and Records of Butterflies Attracted to Light in India. Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
  9. ↑ Karunaratne, V., Bombuwela, K., Kathirgamanathar, S., Kumar, V., Karunaratne, D.N., Ranawana, K. B., Wijesundara, D. S. A., Weerasooriya, A. and E. D. De Silva (2002) An association between the butterfly Talicada nyseus and the lichen Leproloma sipmanianum as evidenced from chemical studies. Current Science 83(6):741-745 (PDF)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.