Book Review - The Book of Indian Butterflies by Isaac Kehimkar

Book Review : The Book of Indian Butterflies

Description : The Book of Indian Butterflies describes 735 species of butterflies that commonly occur in the Indian subcontinent. Most descriptions are illustrated with color images of specimens from the Bombay Natural History Society's collection as well as with color photographs of butterflies from across the country in their natural habitats. The book also includes color photographs showing the life history of different butterfly groups and their adaptation techniques.Besides highlighting the rich biodiversity of India's butterfly fauna, this book is a highly enjoyable guide for nature lovers. Isaac Kehimkar discusses the biology and identification of butterflies, as well as butterfly watching, photography, and rearing. Written by an expert in the field, The Book of Indian Butterflies is a comprehensive and updated guide to India's butterflies.

Product Details : 520 pages; 500 color photographs & color plates; 5-1/2 x 8-1/5; ISBN13: 978-0-19-569620-2ISBN10: 0-19-569620-4

About the Author : Isaac Kehimkar is an avid naturalist, keen photographer, and writer who regularly contributes photographs and articles to various nature publications. Currently working as General Manager, Programmes of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), he is the joint editor of BNHS's quarterly natural history journal, Hornbill. Kehimkar is a Fulbright scholar and also is the referee for papers on butterflies that appear in the Journal of the BNHS.

Book Review : When Isaac wrote me an email some years back, asking me for some of my butterfly photos for the book that he was working on, I readily agreed, even though I sought some clarifications on the relevance of my photos, taken mainly in Singapore, for a book which featured Indian butterflies. Isaac mentioned that most of the Indian species would be virtually indistinguishable from their cousins in South East Asia.

It was a book worth waiting those long years, and I had almost forgotten about it when Isaac wrote to me again, inviting me to the launch of his 520-page labour of love on 5 Jun 2008 at Hornbill House by the Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Mrs Usha Thorat. Much as I would have loved to attend the launch of this book, which took Isaac almost 10 years in the making, unfortunately, I had to decline his invitation.

The book is basically organised into three main sections - the first dealing with information about butterflies, covering structure, life cycle, variation, behaviour, adaptations, migration and biogeography. These topics are adeptly handled by Isaac, and covers the topics in simple language, appropriately supported by illustrations and photographs. I found the section on biogeography interesting, as India, being such a large and diverse country has the entire spectrum of habitats in which butterflies are found - from coastal mangroves to the highland montane regions.

A section of the book also attempts to assist the amateur butterfly watcher with a "key" of sorts, separating butterflies into identifiers like size, colour and habitat. I did not find this section particularly useful, as it can only hope to narrow down observations to perhaps the genus level for some species.

The second section of the book, which covers the five families of butterflies - Hesperiidae (97), Papilionidae (71), Pieridae (66), Lycaenidae (194) and Nymphalidae (296), in that order, deals with 724 species (although the book mentions that 735 species that occur in the Indian subcontinent have been described). Perhaps the anomaly in the number of species featured was something that I may have overlooked in the book.

Each family is divided into two subsections, the first gives more detailed descriptions about each species, with important information like wingspan, status, distribution, habits & habitat and details of the adult butterfly. Not all species are accompanied with a photo, but in this section, all the photos feature live shots of the butterflies in their environment. The second subsection features plates of preserved specimens, taken from the Bombay Natural History Society collection.

The final part of the book covers environmentally contemporary issues of conservation, butterfly gardening and the study of butterflies in India. Two chapters deal with butterfly photography and watching.

Whilst the author has put in a decade of hard work into the book, how I wish that the photographs of the species were depicted in a larger size. As it is, the near-thumbnail size does not do enough justice to the beauty and detail of each species. Perhaps the text could have been somewhat summarised, but that is something that is often easier said than done, as Isaac's enthusiasm and knowledge obviously shows in the detail and information that he covers for each species.

All said and done, the Book of Indian Butterflies is a great piece of work by Isaac Kehimkar, and I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Isaac for a job excellently done!

Text by Khew SK : Photos of the book (c) Isaac Kehimkar.

Life History of the Lance Sergeant

Life History of the Lance Sergeant (Athyma pravara helma)

Butterfly Biodata:
Genus: Athyma Westwood, 1850
Species: pravara Moore, 1858
Subspecies: helma, Fruhstorfer, 1906
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly: 60mm
Caterpillar Host Plants: Uncaria spp. (Rubiaceae)


A female Lance Sergeant checking out a leaf for oviposition


A Lance Sergeant puddling among leaf debris on a forest trail

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly:
Above, the Lance Sergeant is dark brown to black with an interrupted, white, macular and curved fascia running from mid-costa on the forewing to near the base of the dorsum on the hindwing. There are submarginal lines of white markings irrorated with dark scales on both wings, that on the hindwing taking the form of a broad band running from the apex to dorsum. Lance Sergeant can be distinguished easily from other similar Athyma species in that the cell-streak in the forewing is entire and clavate at its distal end. The underside is greyish brown with markings as on the upperside.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behaviour:
Locally the Lance Sergeant is uncommon. Sightings of adults have been confined to a few locations in the northern and western part of the Central Catchment Nature Reserves where its host plants, Uncaria spp. are growing. The adults fly with a strong swift flight. Individuals have been seen puddling on trails and at stream banks during past sightings.

Early Stages:
Species of Uncaria are climbers with opposite leaves and short petioles. They climb with the aid of a pair of cat-like claws which are modified lateral branches at the base of the leaves. For this reason, the South American U. tomentosa is called Uña de Gato (Cat's Claw). Some Uncaria species are medicinal plants in various parts of the world. Notably, one species, U. gambier, played an important part in Singapore's early history (and economy) prior to the introduction of Rubber.


Host plant #1: Uncaria sp.


Host plant #2: another Uncaria sp.


The "claws" on an Uncaria plant.


A female Lance Sergeant ovipositing on a leaf of the host plant.
Left: abdominal tip just touches the leaf tip; Right: egg laid at leaf tip.

The eggs of the Lance Sergeant are laid singly at the tip of a leaf on the host plant. In a behavior typical of Athyma spp. (and some other species), the mother butterfly first lands on the surface of the leaf, and with its head pointing towards the petiole, it reverses until its abdomen tip reaches the drip tip of the leaf, and there it lays an ovum. Damaged leaf edges, caused by other insects or even the feeding activity of an early caterpillar, could be mistaken as the leaf tip, with the result of an egg being laid there. Diameter of egg: about 0.8mm.


Eggs of Lance Sergeant at laid at leaf tips of the host plant.
Left: freshly laid; Right: mature egg. Diameter: 0.8mm.

The egg takes 3 days to hatch. The young caterpillar eats its way out of the mature egg, and then proceeds to finish up the rest of the egg shell. The newly hatched has a cylindrical dark greenish brown body covered with many small tubercles. The head capsule is orange in base color and speckled with dark brown patches.


Newly hatched Lance Sergeant caterpillar, length: 2mm

The 1st instar caterpillar feeds from the leaf tip and works its way towards the base on each side of the midrib, which is left protruding. At the tip of this exposed midrib, the young caterpillar also laboriously builds a frass chain which is made up of frass pellets strung together with silk thread. Between feeds, the caterpillar rests on either the exposed midrib or the frass chain. If disturbed when feeding on the nearby leaf lamina, it also makes a hasty beeline for this resting position. In later instars, the caterpillar tends to rest near where the protruding midrib joins the remaining lamina. At this site, it also attempts to disguise itself with a collection of frass pellets secured with silk on the lamina. After reaching about 5mm in about 3 days, the caterpillar moults to the 2nd instar.


1st instar caterpillar resting on the frass chain, length: 5mm

Besides the tiny tubercles covering most of its body surface, the 2nd instar caterpillar also features bigger and more prominent branched spines dorso-laterally and spiracularly. Black spots also line the basal part of the dorso-lateral spines. The head capsule is now brown to dark brown in coloration. This instar lasts 3 days with the body length reaching 7mm.


2nd instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 5mm


2nd instar caterpillar resting on its frass chain

Compared to the earlier instar, the 3rd instar caterpillar has longer dorsolateral spines, with the pairs on thoracic segments particularly longer. Its head capsule is dark brown to black irorated with pale brown tubercles of both rounded and pointed shapes. Sub-spiracular white patches can be found on abdominal segments 2, 6-8, enveloping the short branched spines found there. This instar takes 3-4 days to complete with body length reaching about 12mm. On the last day of this instar, the dorsal band takes on a greenish tinge.


3rd instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 8mm


3rd instar caterpillar, late in this stage, length: 12mm


3rd instar caterpillar, dormant before the moult to the next instar.
Note the bulge behind the head capsule, this will become the new head.

The 4th instar caterpillar has a wide dorsal band which is briefly yellowish green at first but soon turns bright green for most part of this instar. The sub-spiracular white patches are now more prominent, and the dorso-lateral spines have grown further in length and changed to crimson red in color. The head capsule has two faint vertical pale stripes running vertically. This instar lasts 4 days with body length reaching about 16mm.


4th instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 10.5mm


4th instar caterpillar, length: 13.5mm

The next moult brings the caterpillar to its 5th and final instar. Now there is a drastic change in appearance. The branched dorso-lateral spines are now very well developed on all body segments, those on the meso- and metathorax being the longest. Newly moulted caterpillar has a broad green dorsal band and is dark yellowish green laterally, but soon the green on the dorsal band spread laterally giving the caterpillar an overall green appearance. The two white vertical stripes on the head capsule also become much more prominent in this instar. As with other members of the Limenities subgroup, when disturbed, the caterpillar adopts a characteristic posture with the anterior body arched and the head tucked beneath the thorax.


5th instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 16mm


5th instar caterpillar of Lance Sergeant

The 5th instar lasts for 6-8 days, and the body length reaches up to 29-31mm. On the last day, its body color changes dramatically. The color changes first to yellowish green and then pale brown. The caterpillar ceases feeding and wanders around for a pupating site which could either be a branch or a leaf surface. Once a suitable spot is found, the caterpillar spins a silk pad, and from which it hangs vertically to take on the pre-pupatory pose.


5th instar caterpillar, last day in this instar


5th instar caterpillar, a few hours before the dormant pre-pupal stage.


A pre-pupatory larva of Lance Sergeant

Pupation takes place a day later. The pupa suspends itself from the silk pad with no supporting silk girdle. When disturbed, the abdominal segments flex laterally, and could stay in that position for a period of time. It is almost entirely silverly-gold in color with segments and parts outlined in brown. The pupa has a pair of curved and pointed cephalic horns. The abdominal segments are slender, and the thoracic portion being larger and expanded laterally. Dorsally, there are two prominent processes curved towards each other. Length of pupae: 17-19mm.



Two different views of a pupa of the Lance Sergeant.


A pupa of the Lance Sergant: fresh pupa (left), mature pupa (right).

After 7 days of development, the pupa turns black in the wing pad area as the development within the pupal case comes to an end. The spots and streak on the forewing upperside are also discernible. The following day, soon after day break, the adult butterfly emerges from the pupal case.


An eclosion sequence of a Lance Sergeant


A newly eclosed Lance Sergeant


Another newly eclosed Lance Sergeant, showing us the undersides.

References:

• The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Malayan Nature Society.
• The Butterflies of Hong Kong, M. Bascombe, G. Johnston, F. Bascombe, Princeton University Press 1999

Text and Photos by Horace Tan

Life History of the Peacock Royal

Life History of the Peacock Royal (Tajuria cippus maxentius)

An updated version of the life history of the Peacock Royal can be found by clicking this link.

Butterfly Biodata :

Genus : Tajuria Moore, 1881

Species : cippus Fabricius, 1798

Subspecies : maxentius Fruhstorfer, 1912
Wingspan of Adult Butterfly : 29~33mm
Caterpillar Host Plant : Dendropthoe pentandra (Loranthaceae)

Life Cycle
Egg 4 days
1st Instar 3~4 days
2nd instar 4 days
3rd instar 4 days
4th instar 7 days
Pre-pupation 2 days
Pupa 10 days

Physical Description of Adult Butterfly :
The upper side of the male is a beautiful royal blue with a broad black apical border on the forewing. The female is a light pale blue with a series of black post-discal striae. The underside is a silvery grey with post discal series of dark striae on both wings. The tornal spots are orange-crowned and both sexes possess two pairs of tails.

Field Observations of Butterfly Behavior :
The butterfly is a fast-flyer in the field, often found feeding at flowering bushes and trees. When disturbed it flies rapidly high up to nearby shrubs but often returns later to the bushes to continue feeding.

Males are often observed sun bathing showing off their beautiful blue uppersides under the sun.

Early Stages:

Eggs are laid singly on the young leaf surfaces or stems of the host plant. The colour of the newly laid egg is white to slightly greenish and mature eggs turn white before hatching.

The egg is typically dome shape and measures ~0.93mm diameter. It has a depressed micropylar on top and the surface is slightly sculptured otherwise smooth.

Freshly laid Peacock Royal egg, diameter is about 0.9~1.0mm

It takes 4 days for eggs to hatch. The young caterpillar does not consume the eggshell after hatching, leaving an empty eggshell with a small round opening atop the micropylar area.

The caterpillar's body looks a bit shiny and light tan in colour with three darker tan wavy markings horizontally across the dorsal. The 1st instar caterpillar is hairy with fine and short setae below and around the body and longer setae on top of the segments.

The 1st instar caterpillar has 10 body segments and the spiracles are located closer to the top side of the segments. At the top of each of the body segments are the saw-tooth liked tubercles with setae which has white colour tip.

The 1st instar caterpillar feeds mainly on the under surface of the leave tissue and leaving many “windows” on the leaf.


A newly hatched 1st instar caterpillar measures around1.2~1.5mm and about 2mm after half a day.

“Windows’ created by the 1st instar caterpillar


The 1st instar caterpillar feeds on the under surface of young leaf tissue.

Mature 1st Instar caterpillar measures 3.2~3.4mm just hours before molting to 2nd Instar. Interesting observation is that each tubercle is surrounded by a transparent “air pocket”

Freshly molted 2nd Instar caterpillar feeding on its 1st skin with length of ~3.4mm

It takes 3 days for the 1st instar caterpillar to molt. The freshly molted 2nd instar caterpillar immediately feeds on its 1st instar skin. At this stage all the setae are dropped with body color and markings remain the same as the final 1st Instar caterpillar.


Freshly molted 3rd instar caterpillar remains the same colour as 2nd instar caterpillar except that the transparent pockets on the tubercles are gone now

Four days after, the caterpillar advances to its 3rd instar. Colour and markings remain the same (but I also notice some earlier breeds actual were green in colour) and it changes its feeding habit to eat on the edge of the leave.


Green coloured 3rd instar caterpillars. The colour of the caterpillars blends in well with the environment e.g. the green twig.

4th instar caterpillar, early in this stage, length: 13mm

The freshly molted 4th instar caterpillar changes its body colour to maroon brown with three light pinkish cloudy patches located between the last segment leg and beginning of the end of the body after segment 7. On top of segments 2 and 3 is now dark in orange, this includes the tubercles at segments 5 ~7 as well.

The tubercles on segments 1 and 2 are not so prominent on this 4th instar caterpillar. The transparent ‘air pockets’ on top of the tubercles of the 3rd instar caterpillar have now disappeared.

Mature 4th instar caterpillar.


A 4th instar instar caterpillar continues to feed on the edge of the leaf

A few hours after molting the appearance of this 4th instar changes. The light pinkish cloudy patches turn dusted pinky patches. The light pinkish cloudy patch at the front of head is now disappeared and replaced by three black marks and they look like two eyes and a mount. There are now two ‘black eyes’ appearing at the end of the abdomen as well.

Pre-pupating caterpillar of the Peacock royal, note the pinkish colour patches which turns lighter to eventually white

After 7 days the 4th instar caterpillar stops feeding and wanders around the container searching for a place to undergo its final molt into a pupa until it settles down on a twig in head down position. The pinkish cloudy patches slowly changed to white and the orange patches are getting lighter and less intense in orange.

Two days later the caterpillar shreds its skin and prepares for pupation by attaching itself with the cremaster on the twig without silkpad, but unlike many other species, it has no girdle to support the pupa.


A freshly molted pupa


Mature pupa of the Peacock royal


In the morning, few hours before the adult butterfly emerges the pupa turns darker brown

A newly eclosed Peacock Royal resting on flower stem

A newly eclosed female Peacock Royal. Inset : Upperside of the female Peacock Royal

References:

• The Butterflies of The Malay Peninsula, A.S. Corbet and H.M. Pendlebury, 4th Edition, Malayan Nature Society.

Text by Tan Ben Jin ; Photos by Tan BJ & Khew SK