Thursday, 9 January 2014

Butterfly of Bangladesh

Papilio polytes

Papilio polytes Linnaeus, 1758

The Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) is found in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This is a common species of swallowtail butterfly widely distributed across Asia.  
This butterfly is known for the mimicry displayed by the numerous forms of its females which mimic inedible Red-bodied Swallowtails, such as the Common Rose.Jet black butterfly with row of white spots along the middle part of hindwing. 90–100 mm.
  
Habits & Status
The Common Mormon is fond of visiting flowers and its long proboscis permits it to feed from flowers having long corollar tubes. It is particularly fond of Lantana, Jatropha, Ixora, and Mussaenda in city gardens. In the forests, the Common Mormon remains low keeping within ten feet off the floor and its prefer to visit Asystasia, Peristrophe, and Jasminum for nectar. The male Common Mormon is a very common visitor to gardens where he will be seen hovering over flowers when the sun is shining. It is a restless insect, zig-zagging fast and straight close to the ground, settling down only when it halts to feed.Very common in Bangladesh.

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Friday, 15 November 2013

Painted lady

Painted lady
The Cynthia group of colourful butterflies, commonly called painted ladies, comprises a subgenus of the genus Vanessa in the Family Nymphalidae. They are well known throughout most of the world.
It is a large butterfly (wing span 5–9 cm (2.0–3.5 in)) identified by the black and white corners of its mainly deep orange, black-spotted wings. It has five white spots in the black forewing tips and while the orange areas may be pale here and there, there are no clean white dots in them. The hindwings carry four small submarginal eyespots on dorsal and ventral sides. In Europe it migrates annually between North Africa, including Morocco, and northern Europe, using a sun compass for orientation. Its also found in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Painted lady on lantana camara plant. Lantana camara is a necter plant.