02 May 2015

Life History of the Common Caerulean

Life History of the Common Caerulean (Jamides celeno aelianus)


Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Jamides Hübner , 1819
Species: celeno Cramer, 1775
Sub-species: aelianus Fabricius, 1793
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 28-32mm
Caterpillar Local Host Plants: Pueraria phaseoloides (Fabaceae), Combretum sundaicum (Combretaceae), Vigna_reflexopilosa (Fabaceae).




Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:
On the upperside, the male is whitish blue on both wings with a dark forewing border up to 1mm wide at the apex, and the female is whiter and with much broader dark borders on both wings. On the underside, the wings are greyish to ochreous brown and marked with whitish striae. The barb-like marking (a characteristic feature of Jamides spp.) in space 1b on the hindwing is rather distinct. As a member of the celeno sub-group, the post-discal band on the forewing is continuous from vein 3 to 7. Each hindwing features a black-centred orange-crowned tornal spot and a white-tipped filamentous tail at the end of vein 2.




Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:
This species is common and widely distributed in Singapore. They are typically found at the edges of the nature reserves, wastelands and in some gardens, often visiting flowers for nectar. Males have been observed to puddle on wet grounds.