MOTH

MY OBSERVATIONS

 Location : Palode, Thiruvanathapuram

02-09-1993- Collected a caterpillar

04-09-1993 – Pupated in the night

Yellow in colour

08-09-1993 – Yellow colour of the pupa chaged to light brown

18-09-1993 – Emerged at 6.30 PM

                         Sandal colour liquid excrete out

WASP

MY OBSERVATIONS

23-07-1993 – Collected one pupa which is hanged in a leaf

                         The Outer cover is leathery

27-07-1993 – Emerged

A Wasp

HYMENOPTERA II

MY OBSERVATIONS

29-08-1992 – Seen in decaying wood

1 CM in length

White colour at the end of the feelers

Always moving the feelers

End of the legs are also white

Eyes are red

                           Female initiate mating

HYMENOPTERA

MY OBSERVATIONS

Location : Malayinkil, Thiruvananthapuram

24-08-1996 – Mating was seen

Male grabs the female with his forelegs while mating

Mates after every two minutes

Each mating takes two to two and half minutes

Female initiate for mating

                           After each mating it cleans its body using legs 

BUG

Location : Palode, Thiruvananthapuram

MY OBSERVATIONS

15-05-1998 – Number of pairs and seen in mating

                         Bugs are orange in colour with black in the wings

30-05-1998 – Again large number of pairs are seen in mating

06-06-1998 -  There are only  six bugs are seen.

 Most of the plant were consumed

 No mating

Yesterday there was rain

HOST PLANT : Oldenlandia umbellate

Kingdom  : Plantae

Order        : Gentianales

Family      : Rubiaceae

Genus      : Oldenlandia

    Species   : O. umbellata

PLAIN TIGER BUTTERFLY (Danaus chrysippus)

Location – Womens Christian College Campus, Nagarcoil, Tamilnadu

MY OBSERVATIONS

06-11-1999 – Collected a pupa from a climber

Light green in colour

27 golden bead-like spots and below it broken black lines

Another 6 golden spots lower end of the body

09-11-1999 -  Colour of the body changed to deep yellow

12-11-1999 -  Again colour changed on observing at 7.00 AM

 We can see the colour of the wing through the pupa case

12-11-1999 – Emerged at 6.00 PM

PLAIN TIGER BUTTERFLY (Danaus chrysippus)
"Chempan Kaduva" (in Malayalam

Kingdom:      Animalia

Phylum:         Arthropoda

Class:             Insecta

Order:             Lepidoptera

Family:           Nymphalidae

Genus:           Danaus

Species:        D. chrysippus

Asian species is Danaus chrysippus chrysippus

Several local forms have been described from Asia

LEMON PANSY BUTTERFLY (Junonia lemonias)

MY OBSERVATIONS

01-01-1997 – Caterpillar collected from an ornamental plant

Main colour of the caterpillar is like black velvet

Small white spots throughout the body

Hairs are seen only in the head

In each segment there is 6 branched spine like parts

02-01-1997 -   Pupated

After one more moulting, outer skin with the thorns is sheded 

There are shapless half white patches in the body

Now looks like the bark of a tree

09-01-1997 -   Emerged at 4.00 PM

Underside and the eyes are ash in colour

Wings are fold when in rest

LEMON PANSY BUTTERFLY (Junonia lemonias)
"Pullikkurumpan" (in Malayalam)

Kingdom:      Animalia

Phylum:         Arthropoda

Class:            Insecta

Order:            Lepidoptera

Family:           Nymphalidae

Genus:           Junonia

    Species:        J. lemonias


IT TAKES 7 DAYS TO EMERGE FROM PUPA 

LITTLE YELLOW BUTTERFLY (Eurema hecabe brenda)

Little Yellow Butterfly

Malayalam Name : Manja Pappathi

Location: Palode, Thiruvananthapuram

MY OBSERVATIONS

13-12-2010 – Collected a pupa

                         Suspended by the tail and by a moderately long band

Early stage of the pupa is green in colour

This pupa is dark brown. It means that it is nearing to emerging

15-12-2010 – Emerged in the morning

Kingdom:      Animalia

Phylum:        Arthropoda

Class:           Insecta

Order:           Lepidoptera

Family:         Pieridae

Subfamily:   Coliadinae

Genus:          Eurema         

Species:       E. hecabe brenda

Wolbachia are symbiotic bacteria which often manipulate the reproduction of  female-biased sex-ratio distortion in this butterfly  was investigated

MALABAR ROSE BUTTERFLY (Pachliopta pandiyana)

MY OBSERVATIONS

13-06-2003 – Collected a pupa from Thottea plant

The face of the pupa is resemble  monkey’s face

HOST PLANT

                                 Thottea siliquosa (Lam.) Ding.Hou

                                 Genus : Thottea

                                 Family : Aristolochiaceae

                                 Sub Family : Aristolochioideae

                                 In Malayalam : Alpam

 15-06-2003 – Emerged in the morning

It is Malabar Rose Butterfly

MALABAR  ROSE BUTTERFLY (Pachliopta pandiyana)
"Kanana Rose" (In Malayalam)

                                      Atrophaneura pandiyana

                                      Kingdom:    Animalia

                                      Phylum:        Arthropoda

                                      Class:          Insecta

                                      Order:          Lepidoptera

                                      Family:         Papilionidae

                                      Genus:         Atrophaneura

                                      Subgenus:   Pachliopta

                                      Species:      A. (P.) pandiyana