Euploea mulciber

Euploea mulciber (Euploea mulciber)

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

Genus –euploea

Appearance

The wingspan is about 80-90 mm. The upper side of the forewings of the male is black-brown with a blue sheen, the shade of which varies depending on the angle of light. On the edges of the wings, in each inter-vein gap, there is one white spot of a rounded shape, measuring 1-2 mm. At the end of the wings there is a white spot of an oval shape with a size of 1-3 mm. The upper side of the hindwings is gray-brown, at the base of the wings there is an oval spot of white-brown color of 1-3 mm.

The upper side of the forewing of the female is lighter than that of the male. The hindwings have longitudinal stripes of light brown and white-yellow. The antennae, head, breast, and abdomen are brown or black.

Habitat

It lives in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and southern China.

Behavior

Males are mixed with other members of the genus Euploea to absorb moisture from the ground. Females are more common when collecting nectar on flowering shrubs of the genus Lantana.

Diet

This species feeds on plants of various tropical species, including Ficus, Streblus (Moraceae), Ichnocarpus, Nerium, Toxocarpus (Apocynaceae), Aristolochia (Aristolochiae), and Argyreia (Convolvulaceae).

Life cycle

The caterpillar's body is cylindrical, with four pairs of long, fleshy spines that have pink bases and black tips. Three pairs of spikes are located on the first segments of the caterpillar, the fourth on the 12th segment. The body is pinkish-white with yellowish spots on the sides. The segments have transverse lines of black, pink, and purplish-brown. The spiracles and head are black. There is a red stripe on the front of the head, and there are white stripes on each side of the head. The front, middle and hind legs are black, the latter are surrounded by a ring of pink color.

The butterfly pupa is short, thickened in the middle, slightly concave at the back. The ventral segments are convex above, golden brown in color with a dark brown stripe.

Adult butterflies live up to 8 months.