Indian Fritillary

Indian Fritillary

Argyreus hyperbius hybrida Evans

NYMPHALIDAE ( = Argynnis hyperbius ( Johanssen ))

Adult

Male upperside bright yellow with an yellowish green base. FW with black bars, spots ( quadrate, triangular, dentate and round) and marginal line. HW with black bars, 7 discal spots and marginal border traversed by a row of slender brown or blue lunules. Underside FW with the basal two –thirds reddish brown and apical third pale yellow with markings as above. HW pale yellow or pale greenish yellow with black sub-basal and discal bars, bordered with pearly white lunules. Female upperside FW basal half and entire HW reddish white lunules. Female upperside FW basal half and entire HW reddish brown with green tinge at the base. Markings as in male but larger. FW apical half purplish blue or dark blue with an oblique sub-apical white band and bluish white apical spots. Wingspan 65-85mm.

A Palaearctic butterfly, occurring mostly in the hilly regions, at 1000m in the Himalayas and up to 2000m in south India. Seen in open areas, cultivated fields and gardens in the plains. Female much slow on the wings, resembling Danaus chrysippus owing to the presence of white oblique band on the FW and black markings. Visits flowers of Zinnia, Aztec Marigold, Buckwheat etc.

Larva

Black with ornage brown markings. Head with 4 black spines. Body with broad, dorsal orange-brown stripe and covered with black and pink spines.

Distribution

India, sri lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, hongkong, china, Taiwan, japan, ehtiopia and new guinea.