Butterflies in and around Mugilu Homestay, Sakleshpur

Observed on Oct 11th to Oct 15th and Nov 15th to Nov 19th, 2017

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

- A.Ajit

Some Terminologies Used…

•In evolutionary biology, mimicry is a similarity of one organism to another. Often, mimicry evolves to protect a species from predators, making it an antipredator adaptation. The resemblances that evolve in mimicry can be in appearance, behaviour, sound or scent. For example, Common Rose butterflies are toxic and avoided by birds and other predators. Common Mormon butterfly mimics a Common Rose to give an appearance of being toxic and hence escapes attack.

Mimicry

•Batesian mimicry is a form of mimicry where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species to avoid predation and to gain advantage for survival. The above example mentioned in mimicry is actually an example of Batesian mimicry.

Batesian Mimicry

•Müllerian mimicry is a natural phenomenon in which two or more distasteful species, that may or may not be closely related and share one or more common predators, have come to mimic each other's warning signals, to their mutual benefit, since predators can learn to avoid all of them. For example Common Crow, Brown King Crow and Double Branded Crow mimic each other and mutually strengthen their anti-predatory skill.

Müllerian Mimicry

•Butterflies in very large numbers migrate from Western Ghats to Eastern plains during April-June period and a return migration happens during October-December period.This is done to escape the nearly incessant rains and mist that cover the southern part of Sahyadri from June to September. The butterflies breed during the south-western monsoon on the eastern plains, in the rainshadow area, and their progeny then migrate back to the Sahyadri between October and early December.

Migration

Butterfly List

• Hypolycaena othona othona – Oriental Orchid Tit

• Athyma inara inara – Himalayan Colour Sergeant

• Mycalesis junonia – Malabar Glad-eye Bushbrown

• Melanitis leda leda Linnaeus, 1758 – Oriental Common Evening Brown

• Ypthima baldus madrasa Evans, 1923 – Sahyadri Common Five-ring

• Cupha erymanthis maja Fruhstorfer, 1898 – Sahyadri Rustic

• Tanaecia lepidea miyana Fruhstorfer, 1913 – Peninsular Grey Count

• Euploea core core – Indian Common Crow

• Orsotriaena medus mandata – Sahyadri Medus Brown

• Notocrypta curvifascia curvifascia – Chinese Restricted Demon

• Parantica aglea aglea – Coromandel Glassy Tiger

• Pseudocoladenia dan dan – Sahyadri Fulvous Pied Flat

• Ypthima huebneri – Common Four-ring

• Iambrix salsala luteipalpis – Southern Chestnut Bob

• Pantoporia hordonia hordonia – Oriental Common Lascar

Total 30 species of butterflies seen over a random observation period of 6 days. They were predominantly seen

during the morning time from 8 AM till 10:30 AM. Please note that Bird watching and Plant observation were the predominant activity and hence this is not a complete list of possible butterflies. The number can actually be way more than this if focussed butterfly survey is done. 20 out of those 30 butterflies seen have been presented in this document.

Butterfly List Continued…

• Catopsilia pomona pomona – Oriental Lemon Emigrant

• Papilio buddha – Malabar Banded Peacock

• Jamides celeno celeno Cramer, 1775 – Oriental Common Cerulean

• Pachliopta aristolochiae aristolochiae – Indian Common Rose

• Eurema hecabe hecabe – Oriental Common Grass Yellow

• Neptis jumbah jumbah – Bengal Chestnut-streaked Sailer

• Papilio polymnestor polymnestor – Indian Blue Mormon

• Papilio helenus daksha – Sahyadri Red Helen

• Troides minos – Sahyadri Birdwing

• Eurema blanda silhetana – Sylhet Three-spot Grass Yellow

• Pareronia hippia – Indian Wanderer

• Leptosia nina nina – Oriental Psyche

• Delias eucharis – Indian Jezebel

• Junonia iphita iphita – Oriental Chocolate Pansy

• Hypolimnas bolina bolina – Sunda Great Eggfly

Oriental Orchid Tit Sahyadri Fulvous Pied Flat

Malabar Banded Peacock Indian Common Rose

Malabar Glad-eye Bushbrown Sahyadri Rustic

Peninsular Grey Count Himalayan Colour Sergeant

Sahyadri Medus Brown Oriental Common Grass Yellow

Oriental Lemon Emigrant Chinese Restricted Demon

Oriental Common Evening Brown Common Four-ring

Indian Common Crow Sahyadri Common Five-ring

Southern Chestnut Bob Coromandel Glassy Tiger

Oriental Common Cerulean Oriental Common Lascar

Interesting Facts

Oriental Orchid Tit

• This species is considered rare in southern India and in the south, found only in Western Ghats

• Found in and around orchids and hence the name.

• The orchid tit is found in dense, rainy jungles. It is rarely seen except around its food plants - the flower buds of epiphytic orchids. It flies weakly and settles on flowers and leaves. It visits damp patches

Malabar Glad-eye Bushbrown

• The eye like design on the wing is called eye spot.

• Eye spots may be a form of mimicry in which a spot on the body of an animal resembles an eye of a different animal to deceive potential predator or prey species. Its a form of self-mimicry, to draw a predator's attention away from the most vulnerable body parts; or to appear as an inedible or dangerous animal.

Indian Common Rose

• The red body, slow peculiar flight, bright colouration and pattern of the wings are meant to indicate to predators that this butterfly is inedible, being well protected by the poisons it has accumulated from its larval food plant. It also emits a nasty smelling substance when handled to further enhance its unappealing qualities. Hence it is rarely attacked by predators, a strategy so successful, that edible butterflies have evolved to mimic it. The classic example is that of the female morph of the common Mormon that mimics this butterfly.

Interesting Facts Continued…

Coromandel Glassy Tiger

• They are known to accumulate toxins from the milkweed plant and become toxic.

• This is used as means of defence against vertebrate predators like birds and lizards. The toxic compound in them is known to cause heart attacks when ingested in sufficient quantities.

• There are many species of butterflies which mimic blue tiger butterflies. Blue tigers along with Dark blue tigers and glassy tigers form a Müllerian mimicry system

Indian Common Crow

• These butterflies are inedible and toxic. They accumulate toxins from the milkweed plant. They are mimicked by other butterflies which is known as Batseian mimicry. Additionally a number of other inedible species within the same family mimic each other forming a Müllerian ring.

• These butterflies migrate from Western ghats to eastern plains during April-June and return back post monsoon during the period of October to December.

• The butterfly has tough, leathery wings. When attacked it shams death and oozes liquid which causes any predators to release them and become nauseous. Once released the butterfly "recovers miraculously" and flies off. Predators experience enough trauma that the characteristics of the butterfly are imprinted in memory.

General Observations

• The Orchid Tit was seen only during the Oct 2nd week period just after rains. It was seen multiple times during the day for couple of days. It was not seen during the Nov time period.

• In the month of Oct, Malabar Banded Peacock and Red Helen sightings were very common and seen in good numbers. Didn’t see them much during the Nov period.

• Commonest butterfly seen was Sahyadri Common Five-ring .

• Sahyadri Birdwing was seen only once during November.

Recommendation

• Malabar Banded Peacock is an endemic butterfly of the western Ghats and an extremely pretty butterfly. Its size and turquise blue color is hard to miss.

• Southern Birdwing is another extremely pretty butterfly which is also now the state butterfly of Karnataka.

• Blue Mormon is the largest butterfly found in South India and Srilanka. It’s a treat to see this butterfly in flight.

• Red Helen is a large swallowtail butterfly which is seen commonly in the western ghats and is a very pretty butterfly. Do look out for it.

• Clipper, Cruiser, Tamil Yeoman, Rustic are some of the other very attractive butterflies which are surely found in these areas.

Species to look out for

• Be a citizen scientist by contributing your observations to ifoundbutterflies.org

• You can contribute your images to Wikimedia as well.

• You can use other portals like iNaturalist, India Biodiversity Portal

Contribution

Morning from 8:00 AM till 11:00 AM is the best time for butterfly watching.

Images seen in this document have been contributed to Wiki and can be found at…

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hypolycaena_othona_othona_-_Orchid_Tit_01.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pseudocoladenia_dan_dan_%E2%80%93_Sahyadri_Fulvous_Pied_Flat_-_Mugilu_11.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pachliopta_aristolochiae_aristolochiae_%E2%80%93_Indian_Common_Rose_-_Mugilu_19.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Papilio_buddha_%E2%80%93_Malabar_Banded_Peacock_-_Mugilu_12.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mycalesis_junonia_-_Malabar_Glad-eye_Bushbrown_-_Mugilu_01.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cupha_erymanthis_-_Sahyadri_Rustic_-_Mugilu_05.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Athyma_inara_inara_%E2%80%93_Himalayan_Colour_Sergeant_-_Mugilu_04.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tanaecia_lepidea_-_Peninsular_Grey_Count_-_Mugilu_06.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orsotriaena_medus_mandata_%E2%80%93_Sahyadri_Medus_Brown_-_Mugilu_08.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eurema_hecabe_hecabe_%E2%80%93_Oriental_Common_Grass_Yellow_-_Mugilu_18.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Notocrypta_curvifascia_curvifascia_%E2%80%93_Chinese_Restricted_Demon_-_Mugilu_09.jpg

Images seen in this document have been contributed to Wiki and can be found at…

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catopsilia_pomona_pomona_%E2%80%93_Oriental_Lemon_Emigrant_-_Mugilu_16.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melanitis_leda_leda_Linnaeus_%E2%80%93_Oriental_Common_Evening_Brown_-_Mugilu_02.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ypthima_huebneri_%E2%80%93_Common_Four-ring_-_Mugilu_13.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ypthima_baldus_-_Sahyadri_Common_Five-ring_-_Mugilu_03.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Euploea_core_core_%E2%80%93_Indian_Common_Crow_-_Mugilu_07.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iambrix_salsala_luteipalpis_%E2%80%93_Southern_Chestnut_Bob_-_Mugilu_14.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parantica_aglea_aglea_%E2%80%93_Coromandel_Glassy_Tiger_-_Mugilu_10.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pantoporia_hordonia_hordonia_%E2%80%93_Oriental_Common_Lascar_-_Mugilu_15.jpg

• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jamides_celeno_-_Oriental_Common_Cerulean_-_Mugilu_17.jpg

References

• http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimicry

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batesian_mimicry

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCllerian_mimicry

• http://biodiversitylab.org/butterfly-migrations

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyespot_(mimicry)

• https://www.livescience.com/2820-butterflies-eye-spots.html

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chliaria_othona

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachliopta_aristolochiae

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycalesis_patnia

• http://www.sixdegreesnews.org/archives/3271/knowing-our-butterflies-the-stunning-yet-common-blue-tiger

• http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/butterflies-begin-migration-in-western-ghats/article19885072.ece