Rustic

Rustic

Cupha erymanthis maja Fruhstorfer

NYMPHALIDAE (=Cupha erymanthis lotis sultz)

Adult

upperside yellowis brown. FW with brown base, a broad black, triangular apex having 2 yellow spots and a broad, bright yellow transverse discal band having 3 black spots. Hw with many transverse black lines, a discal series of black spots, 2 rows of black lunules and a narrow terminal black band. Underside much paler. FW with brown apex, yellowish brown line with a series of dark spots on its outer border and 2 rows of sub-terminal tooth-shaped spots. HW with a series of purple borderd lunules in the disc, a post discal band and sub terminal tooth shaped spots. Wingspan 50-60mm.

An insect of hill country in heavy rainfall regions. Abundant in the hills of South India up to 2300m. Flies close to the ground with weak flight. Both sexes visit flowers like Eupatorium and male occasionally to damp patches. male flies restlessly through the dense forest and female found inside the forest.

Larva

Brown with spiny head. Body with a dorsal and a lateral series of dark brown markings and lateral series of semi-transparent brown spines. Feeds on Madagascar plum, Flacourtia Montana, etc.

Distribution

Most of the Orietal region, including India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, hongkong and china.