PARASITED PUPA-2

Location : Malayinkil, Thiruvananthapuram

MY OBSERVATIONS

23-03-2011 – Collected a caterpillar from an Ixora plant

It is bulky and hairy

28-03-2011 – Caterpillar died. But another pupa was seen in the bottle.

18-04-2011 – The pupa emerged and it was a fly

THE CATERPILLAR WAS PARASITED BY THE FLY

COMMON BARON BUTTERFLY

Location : Thucklai, Tamilnadu

MY OBSERVATIONS

14-03-2011 – Got one pupa from Thucklai

                          Caterpillar moulted before pupating. The outer cover is also seen with the pupa

Outer cover of the caterpillar after moulting

22-03-2011 – Emerged in the morning

IT IS COMMON BARON BUTTERFLY

Euthalia aconthea

“Maanthalir Salabham” in Malayalam

Kingdom:     Animalia

Phylum:        Arthropoda

Class:           Insecta

Order:           Lepidoptera

Family:          Nymphalidae

Genus:          Euthalia

Species:       E. aconthea

                                                           Pupa case after emerging

COURTESY : Dr. S. Mukunthakumar, TBGRI

BLUE TIGER MOTH-2

Location : Thachottukavu, Near Malayinkil, Thiruvananthapuram

MY OBSERVATIONS

20-02-2011 – Collected a Caterpillar

24-02-2011 – Become Pupa

08-03-2011 – Emerged in the morning at 8 AM

IT IS A BLUE TIGER MOTH

Dysphania percota (Swinhoe, 1891)

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:    Arthropoda
Class:      Insecta
Order:      Lepidoptera
Family:    Geometridae
Genus:    Dysphania

HOST PLANT: Carallia brachiata ( “Vallabham” in Malayalam)

COMMON INDIAN CROW BUTTERFLY- Euploea core-2

Location : Malayinkil. Thiruvananthapuram

MY OBSERVATIONS

13-02-2011 – Collected a caterpillar from White Nerium plant

HOST PLANT : Nerium oleander

Kingdom:      Plantae

Order:            Gentianales

Family:          Apocynaceae

Subfamily:     Apocynoideae

Tribe:             Wrightieae

Genus:           Nerium

Species:       N. oleander

17-02-2011 – Caterpillar become large, nearly double in size within 4 days

18-02-2011 – 8 PM Changing to pupa

19-02-2011 – 3 AM Become pupa. Completely light yellow in colour

20-02-2011 – Yellow colour of the pupa changed to glittering silver

28-02-2011 – Emerged in the morning

IT IS     COMMON INDIAN CROW BUTTERFLY

            Euploea core vermiculata
      "Arali Salabham" (in Malayalam)

Kingdom:     Animalia

Phylum:        Arthropoda

Class:           Insecta

Order:           Lepidoptera

Family:         Nymphalidae

Genus:         Euploea

Species:      E. core
Pupa case after emerging

IT TAKES NINE DAYS TO BECOME ADULT FROM PUPA

PARASITED PUPA

Location : Palode, Thiruvananthapuram

MY OBSERVATIONS

31-01-2011 – Collected  a pupa

09-02-2011 – Emerged

                                        It was a fly. So the caterpillar or pupa was parasitized by the fly

COMMON JEZEBEL BUTTERFLY

Location : Thucklai, Tamilnadu

MY OBSERVATIONS

24-01-2011 – Collected three pupae

27-01-2011 – Emerged out in the morning

It is Common Jezebel Butterfly

Delius eucharis ( Drury). 

“Vilasini Salabham”(in Malayalam)

Kingdom:      Animalia

Phylum:          Arthropoda

Class:            Insecta

Order:            Lepidoptera

Family:           Pieridae

Genus:           Delias

Species:        D. eucharis

14-02-2011 – The other two pupae were not emerged. So dissected and found empty. Both were eaten by small ants. There was small holes in the pupa case

COURTESY : Dr.S.Mukunthakumar, TBGRI

MOTH-1

Location : Palode, Thiruvananthapuram

MY OBSERVATIONS

07-12-2010 – Sunny day, 1.40 PM

Seen in the ground grass in large numbers

Short distance flight

                          1 CM in length

Un emerged one

 Location : Palode, Thiruvananthapuram

MY OBSERVATIONS

HOST PLANT : Pancratium triflorum ( "Kaattulli" in Malayalam)

Kingdom:    Plantae

clade:          Angiosperms

clade:          Monocots

Order:          Asparagales

Family:        Amaryllidaceae

Subfamily:   Amaryllidoideae

    Genus:        Pancratium

08-10-2011- Cater pillar from Pancratium triflorum plant

11-11-2010- Eating of leaf continued till noon

Usually consuming 3 leaves per day

Afternoon it hanged from the twig. I thought it is going to pupate.

15-11-2010- Body colour changed. Become some more black

23-11-2010- Body become thin and dry

29-11-2010- Something emerged from its body. May be some parasite.  
                       A hole was there in the body

Dark Evening Brown (Melanitis phedima)

Location : Palode, Thiruvananthapuram - 05-05-2011

Kingdom:      Animalia

Phylum:          Arthropoda

Class:            Insecta

Order:            Lepidoptera

Family:           Nymphalidae

Subfamily:     Satyrinae

Genus:           Melanitis

    Species:       M. phedima

GRASSHOPPER MATING

Location : Palode, Thiruvananthapuram


MY OBSERVATIONS


03-05-2011- Mating of grasshopper takes hours

                       Male is smaller than female.

They are general herbivores feeding on a variety of plants.

Kingdom:         Animalia

Phylum:            Arthropoda

Subphylum:      Hexapoda

Class:               Insecta

Order:               Orthoptera

Suborder:         Caelifera

COMMON INDIAN CROW BUTTERFLY- Euploea core

Location : Palode, Thiruvananthapuram

Kingdom:      Animalia

Phylum:         Arthropoda

Class:            Insecta

Order:            Lepidoptera

Family:          Nymphalidae

Subfamily:     Danainae

Genus:          Euploea

Species:       E. core

The butterfly, being protected by its inedibility, has a leisurely flight. It is often seen flying about shrubs and bushes in search of its host plants. It visits a large variety of flowering plant species.

The butterfly is distasteful due to chemicals from the latex of the food plants eaten in the caterpillar stage. The predator avoid this butterfly as the alkaloids in its body cause vomiting.

MY OBSERVATIONS

18-04-2011 – Collected a caterpillar

HOST PLANT :Hemidesmus indicua. "Naruneendi" in Malayalam

25-04-2011 – Become Pupa

                        Silver in colour

01-05-2011 – Emerged 

IT TAKES 6 DAYS TO BECOME ADULT FROM PUPA