Acytolepis puspa (Common Hedge Blue)

Acytolepis puspa (Common Hedge Blue) newly emerged.

This is small butterfly predominantly white with series of black spots on its underwing. It belongs to Lycaenidae family. It is not very common in our campus. It can be seen on damp patches and around its host plant Peltophorum ptecocarpum (Copperpod tree). There are many Copperpod trees on both sides of main road. I have seen female laying eggs on such trees once near Canara Bank ATM (near H-6) and near H-8. We also found eggs on another Copperpod tree near Main Building. Female lay egg singly on tender shoot or very young leaves. Eggs is more or less round, bluish green in colour, it turns white on maturity. A caterpillar does not eat its egg shell. It is tiny and extremely camofludged. It exclusively eats tender leaves of plant. After reaching maturity caterpillar turns pinkish-red in colour. One of the caterpillar made pupa on upperside of leaf and the butterfly emerged was male.  

Basking Acytolepis puspa (Common Hedge Blue) Female.

Similar species is Tailess Malayan (Megisba thwaitesi), compare following photo for similarities and differences between Common Hedge Blue and Tailess Malayan. Tailess Malayan is seen while mud-puddling.

                                                                 

Egg of Acytolepis puspa

Pre-pupation	Pre-pupation

Pupa just before emergence 

   

Peltophorum ptecocarpum (Copperpod tree)

Acytolepis puspa (Common Hedge Blue) mudpuddling

Butterfly predators

Impeccable Yellow spider in action

 Butterfly is lower order species of the food chain. Its eaten by many of the predators in every life stage of its. Most common ones are birds, spiders, robber fly and wasps. Birds and spiders catch them full grown. An interesting video was captured by Swapnil Lokhande, in which a bird is seen with a butterfly. Bird seems enjoying the meal, the butterfly being eaten was Tawney Rajah. It was sad part for us as Tawney Rajah is seen quite rarely on campus.

Common wanderer caught by spider

Spiders normally seats on the flower and wait for the prey to appear for nectoring. It seats quietly and camouflages excellently with the flower. After setting himself up, its mere the luck of the butterfly decides. Set-up hardly misses any butterfly and rarely seen one escaping the trap. A small spider can catch large butterflies as well. We have seen a common wanderer male caught by a small spider before our eye could blink. Spider takes a long time to kill the prey and eats slowly. Spider net is also used by certain spiders species to catch the insects. Butterflies with large wingspan are primary victims, due to size easily gets entangled in the web.

Close view of white spider on pink-white flower

 

Spider chasing Pierrot 

Robber fly with catch,  grass yellow is the victim

Insects in the dipters family asilidae are commonly called robber flies. Catches for almost every kind of small insect, list is long. List includes butterflies, beetles, moths, bees, ants, dragonflies, damselflies, some wasps, grasshoppers and even spiders [1]. Wasps lay eggs inside the pupa pinning them and the babies after hatching out eats caterpillar inside pupa. Infected pupa can be easily identified. Spoiled pupa changes color to dark black after few days and doesn't pupate. On campus, tiger species and Tailed jay pupa's commonly found infected by some wasps.Some wasps may even infect a caterpillar and feed on it.

Lime cat attacked by wasps

Dragonflies finds a butterfly

Reference:

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asilidae