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Chilasa clytia(Chilasa clytia)
Phylum —arthropoda
Class —insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family —papilionidae
Genus –chilasa
Appearance
The newborn caterpillar is black with a large white spot in the middle. The older caterpillars are black with large white and red spots.
The wingspan of this butterfly is 108-121 mm. There are many variations of colours. The color of the wings is from dark to light brown with many white spots.
Habitat
This butterfly is found in India from Kangra to Sikkim, from Assam to Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Peninsular India and the Andaman Islands. It is also found in Sri Lanka, Thailand, southern China (including Hainan), Hong Kong, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, peninsular Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia (Flores, Alor, Timor and Moa). Several regional variants and forms are recognized.
Behavior
There are multiple generations each year that makes it possible to find individuals throughout the year but their highest populations are from May to October.
It demonstrates daily activity. Butterflies often visit the shores of reservoirs, where they drink water with minerals dissolved in it.
Diet
The larvae are known to feed on species of Litsea, Cinnamomum and Nauclea.
Reproduction
For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm. The females lay their eggs on the top of the leaves of the forage plant. The eggs are pale yellow, spherical.The incubation period is for 3-5 days.Forage plants should be replaced every 3-4 days.It is better to keep the caterpillars inthe terrariums of 6-8 pieces.In the terrarium, you need to place a branch of a forage plant. The insects should be kept at room temperature. The humidity is 65-75%. The caterpillar develops for 15-18 days. The pupae are brown, with darker veins and spots, with an uneven surface, similar to a dry branch. The pupa develops for 13-17 days.
In captivity
The mesh terrarium 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 an overripe banana or give them a few drops of honey syrup diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1: 10.
