Delias hyparette

Delias hyparette(Delias hyparette)

Phylum —arthropoda
Class —insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family —pieridae

Genus –delias

Appearance

The caterpillars are yellowish-brown, with a black head. Older caterpillars have got long yellow hairs.

Delias hyparetteis a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 70-80mm that is easily identified by the intense coloration of red, yellow, and white on the undersides of its hindwings which have a yellow basal area with a bright red marginal border along the termen. The wings are white on the upperside with veins also dusted black.

Habitat

The butterfly is found in South and Southeast Asia.

Behavior

It demonstrates daily activity. Butterflies are kept above the tops of bushes. In the hot hours of the day, butterflies hide in the shade of trees. They fly to the gardens to the flowers. The butterfly is poisonous because of the toxins that the caterpillar accumulates while feeding on mistletoe.

Diet

Adult butterflies feed on nectar.

Reproduction

For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm. Females lay eggs in groups of 10-20 on the lower part of the leaves of the forage plant. Eggs are pale yellow, oval, 1.2-1.3 mm long. The incubation period is 4-5 days. The caterpillars feed on mistletoe leaves. It is better to keep the caterpillars in terrariums of 10-20 pieces. In the terrarium, you need to put a sprig of mistletoe.The temperature is 22-25 ^oC at the humidity of65-75 %. The caterpillar develops for about 3 weeks. The pupa is attached to the underside of the leaf. The pupae are bright yellow with black spots. The pupa develops for 6-7 days.

In captivity

The mesh cage with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours. You can feed the butterflies with honey syrup diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1: 10.