Red Pierrot

Red Pierrot

Talicada nyseus nyseus ( Fuerin – Meneville )

LYCAENIDAE

Adult upperside blackish brown or blackish violet brown. HW with a scarlet band occupying the lower two thirds of the outer area and a delicate brown tail. Underside white. FW with black outer border having white spots. HW with orange red border, white spotted black apex and black spotted disc. Wingspan 30-36mm.

A conspicuous butterfly, distributed throughout south India, orissa, assam and the north-east. Very weak flier and always found in the close vicinity of its host plant, Kalanchoe. The scarlet patches of HW most visible during its slow and deliberate flight.

Larva

Pale olive-yellow or fleshy –white with small, almost concealed head. Body with a ring of 4 dots in the anterior segments, slender green dorsal line, lateral row of 9 black dots and profusely covered with small, white hairs.

Feeds by tunneling the fleshy leaves of Kalanchoe laciniata and K.pinnata.

Distribution

India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar