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

Euchrysops cnejus (Gram Blue)

Euchrysops cnejus (Gram Blue) newly emerged.

Euchrysops cnejus (Gram Blue) is a small butterfly belonging to lycaenidae family. It is very common in post-mansoon months in our campus. It can often be seen basking along road sides in the morning showing off its beautiful blue colour (in case of male); on upperside of its wings. Two tornal black spots with orange caps are present. It is tailed butterfly.

This butterfly and Forget-me-not butterfly are very much similar and can be confused for one another. Absence of spot in     will imply that it is Forget-me-not (see the comparison photo).

It has been seen laying eggs on Vignata sp. flowers and flower buds. Vignata sp. is a climber and it is common in our campus. It can be readily recognised in post-mansoon months by presence of flowers. Flowers are violet-purple in colour and it has peculiar shape.  Gram Blue caterpillar feeds on inner part of flower buds and inner parts of flowers. In order to feed it bores a hole through flower.  So if you examine the flowers/flower buds with hole you may get to see caterpillar. One should be careful in identifying caterpillar because some other species such as Pea Blue, Common cerulean , Dark cerulean caterpillars look almost same at first glance and moreover they also has Vignata sp. as a common larval host plant. We have seen Dark cerulean activity near Vignata sp.. It should be noted that ants were present on Vignata sp. on which we found Gram Blue caterpillar. But its pupation seems to be unaffected by absence of ants (this was a case as caterpillar was reared in home).  Before pupation caterpillar was constantly moving to find secluded space. Then we put some dried leaves insided the box, where caterpillar was kept. It finally made pupa inside one of the curled, dried leaf.

Key difference between Gram Blue and Forget-me-not.

Open wing

Pre-pupation	Pupa

Before emergence	Emergence

Commander - Life Cycle

Please double-click on the picture for better quality. 

Common Baron (Euthalia aconthea)

Common baron is a common medium sized graceful butterfly. Brown in color, female and male differs slightly on upper wings. Female has prominent white spots on upper-side. Species can be confused with chocolate pansy.  Female is seen quite often basking on the big leaf. Having large abdomen, powers it a powerful flight. To find a baron male is a rare treat to the eyes. Male can be found near wet patches, puddling during noon time. Egg is laid singly, preferred LHP is cashew-nut. Egg is domed shape, green in color and has spines all over it. Caterpillar rests on upper side of the leaf, aligned with the mid-rib. Its spiny and looks like thin lines of the leaf. Even being on the upper side of the leaf, camouflage protects it. When grown enough, it forms a pupa below the leaf. Its attached to the leaf with "cremaster". Pupa is often parasitized  by chalcid wasps [1]. 

Front and side view of common baron egg on cashew-nut leaf

Quick Facts:
Name: Common Baron
Scientific Name: Euthalia aconthea
Wingspan : 50 to 60 mm
Host plant: Mango, cashew-nut

Baron cat on cashew=nut leaf

Pupa

Female basking

Cashew-nut tree, with fruit and flowers

Mango tree, Mangifera Indica

Indian Sunbeam (Curetis thetis)

Indian Sunbeam female, recently ecloded

Fresh egg of Indian sunbeam on Derris scandens

         Indian sunbeam, share a "not common" status with some other butterflies on the campus. Mostly spotted on the lake side, due to unprecedented availability of its LHP, an evergreen climber named Jewel Vine (Derris scandens). Thanks Mr. Haneesh for identification. Sunbeam caterpillars were also found on the Pongamia pinnata (करंज), a pea family tree better known for bio-diesel extraction source. Teh tree also hosts for several other butterflies e.g. Common Banded Awl. Many eggs and caterpillars were observed at same time on both these plants . Caterpillar normally resides at the edge of the branch and prefers to eat fresh leaves. Due to its excellent camouflage technique it look like a part of leaf, it can remain unnoticed. Two horn-like structure on its rare part of the body is a special and noticeable feature.

            Indian sunbeam male and female have distinct UP. Male is bright orange and female with most of the part dull dark brown (Chocolate) colored with small white marking on upper-wing. According to Krushnmegh kunte's "Butterflies of Peninsular India", Males are much more frequently seen. However our observation inside the campus is other way round. Females were spotted often, specially near the host plants. Once female was spotted on bamboo tree sap. Just once Male was seen mud-puddling. Male and female both were shot on that same day behind the H-5/H-9 hostels besides the compound wall. Otherwise, one very few occasions male is seen that too in the flight.  Indian sunbeam is frequently found when we toured SGNP, yeoor, Nagla nad Tungareshwar WLS. There are two other subspecies, angled and toothed sunbeam, both spotted by us in Tungareshwar WLS. These two posses subtle deviation from Indian sunbeam and none of them are spotted in the campus. 

Quick Facts:

Name: Indian Sunbeam

Scientific Name: Curtis thetis

Wingspan: 40-50 mm

ID marks: Different UP . Male has orange and female Dark-brown UP wings.

Host plant: Pongamia pinnata, Derris scandens

Curetis thetis egg laying on Derris scandens

Indian Sunbeam Male

Female UP

Note the horn like body-part

Caterpillar, another view

Fresh pupa

Markings are developed on 4th day

Just before eclosion

Indian Sunbeam female on bamboo tree sap

Hasora chromus (Common Banded Awl)

Hasora chromus newly emerged

Like almost all the skippers Hasora chromus (Common Banded Awl) is crepuscular in habit. It can be seen nectoring on Lantana early in the morning or late evening. It is common in post-mansoon months. It has stout body and hence it is very swift flier. Male and female are same in markings on underside of their wings. Male has brands on upperside. Female lays egg singly on tender leaves or shoot of the plant.

We were able to observe its early stages. The caterpillar was found on Pongamia pinnata (करंज) [1] behind the convocation hall of IITBombay. It was newly planted there, so height of the tree was ~ 4 feet. The caterpillar was inside the cell  made up of the leaf (see the photo below). The caterpillar came out of the cell to feed, often partly eating its own cell. After finishing off that cell it wandered around to find suitable place to make another cell and so on it continued. It mostly preferred to come out of the in night.

On the same plant we found 3 caterpillar of almost same maturity.  The pupa was white in colour and loosely held by body bands. Again the caterpillar made cell to pupate. Before pupation the caterpillar was almost immovable for a day. It firstly attached its lower end to leaf and then its skin slowly ruptured. This process took almost a day. 

We have seen 5-6 female Hasora chromus laying eggs on newly blossom Pongamia pinnata near Hostel-13. (We have seen Pongamia pinnata blossoming at end February). Pongamia pinnata may be the preferred larval host plant for this species (at least in our campus); because this plant is present almost everywhere.

Reported larval host plants [2] are: Pongamia pinnata, Ricinus communis, Trichilia connaroides.


Contributors: Swapnil Lokhande and Abhay Soman.

Pongamia pinnat (Marathi:  करंज)	Hasora chromus egg laying on Pongamia pinnata (Marathi:करंज)

Caterpillar of Hasora chromus. Inset: cell	Pre-pupation
Pupation	Pupa of Hasora chromus

References:
[1] Wikipedia entry of Pongamia pinnata.
[2] Kunte K. "Butterflies of peninsular India".