Atrophaneura varuna
Encyclopedia
Common Batwing Atrophaneura varuna is a beautiful butterfly found in India that belongs to the Swallowtail
family belongs to the Batwings group of Atrophaneura, comprising tailless black swallowtail
butterflies.
, northern India
(from Kumaon
to Sikkim
), Myanmar
, Thailand
, northern Laos
, northern Vietnam
and peninsular Malaysia.
.
Male upperside rich velvety blue-black. Fore wing: outwardly towards the terminal margin and the whole of the hind wing except the dorsal area have in certain lights a rich dark purple bloom, in others a very dark green; dorsal area and the whole inner side of the sexual fold opaque brownish black; outer half of fore wing with pale adnervular streaks more or less prominent. Underside similar; fore wing with the adnervular pale streaks broader, more prominent, extended further inwards well up to the terminal margin. Hind wing: ground-colour more uniform blue-black than on the upperside. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black; the head in front, on the sides and beneath, the sides of the thorax and of the abdomen rich crimson ; beneath, the thorax and abdomen black, the latter with lateral black spots in addition on its crimson sides.
Female. Upperside dull black. Fore wing with the pale greyish-green streaks very broad and prominent, especially in interspaces 1 and 2, the streaks extend also into the cell. Hind wing more uniform, with a dark dull blue, in some lights dark green, bloom. Underside similar, the streaks on the fore wing broader and paler; hind wing as on the upperside, more uniform, duller, opaque. Antennae and thorax black, abdomen dull brownish black, head crimson; beneath as in the male, but the crimson less bright, especially on the sides of the abdomen and without the lateral spots on the latter.
In Sikkim, according to Elwes and de Niceville, it occurs from quite low elevations in the Terai up to 7000 feet. Its almost uniform dark colour renders it inconspicuous in the jungle, and it is therefore difficult to account for its being further protected by a disagreeable smell and probably taste. Wood-Mason has recorded that the females have a strong and disgustingly rank musky odour.
Swallowtail butterfly
Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies that form the family Papilionidae. There are over 550 species, and though the majority are tropical, members of the family are found on all continents except Antarctica...
family belongs to the Batwings group of Atrophaneura, comprising tailless black swallowtail
Swallowtail butterfly
Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies that form the family Papilionidae. There are over 550 species, and though the majority are tropical, members of the family are found on all continents except Antarctica...
butterflies.
Range
Eastern NepalNepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, northern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(from Kumaon
Kumaon Division
For Kumaoni/Kumauni People see Kumauni PeopleKumaon or Kumaun is one of the two regions and administrative divisions of Uttarakhand, a mountainous state of northern India, the other being Garhwal. It includes the districts of Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Nainital, Pithoragarh, and Udham Singh Nagar...
to Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
), Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, northern Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, northern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and peninsular Malaysia.
Status
The butterfly is not rare across most of its range but not regarded as threatened. Extinct in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
Description
- Wingspan - 88 to 136mm.
- Male : Tailless. Above, the butterfly is bluish-black and unmarked.
- It has a scent patch in a rounded black-brown dorsal fold. When the fold is opened, the white lower half of the scent patch can be seen.
- The abdomen has white stripes. The head of the butterfly is rose-coloured.
- Female : Tailless. Above, the butterfly is grey-brown. It has dark stripes in between the veins. It has a large pale patch below vein 2 on the upper forewing.
Male upperside rich velvety blue-black. Fore wing: outwardly towards the terminal margin and the whole of the hind wing except the dorsal area have in certain lights a rich dark purple bloom, in others a very dark green; dorsal area and the whole inner side of the sexual fold opaque brownish black; outer half of fore wing with pale adnervular streaks more or less prominent. Underside similar; fore wing with the adnervular pale streaks broader, more prominent, extended further inwards well up to the terminal margin. Hind wing: ground-colour more uniform blue-black than on the upperside. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black; the head in front, on the sides and beneath, the sides of the thorax and of the abdomen rich crimson ; beneath, the thorax and abdomen black, the latter with lateral black spots in addition on its crimson sides.
Female. Upperside dull black. Fore wing with the pale greyish-green streaks very broad and prominent, especially in interspaces 1 and 2, the streaks extend also into the cell. Hind wing more uniform, with a dark dull blue, in some lights dark green, bloom. Underside similar, the streaks on the fore wing broader and paler; hind wing as on the upperside, more uniform, duller, opaque. Antennae and thorax black, abdomen dull brownish black, head crimson; beneath as in the male, but the crimson less bright, especially on the sides of the abdomen and without the lateral spots on the latter.
In Sikkim, according to Elwes and de Niceville, it occurs from quite low elevations in the Terai up to 7000 feet. Its almost uniform dark colour renders it inconspicuous in the jungle, and it is therefore difficult to account for its being further protected by a disagreeable smell and probably taste. Wood-Mason has recorded that the females have a strong and disgustingly rank musky odour.
Taxonomy
- Two subspecies.
- A. varuna astorion (WestwoodJohn Obadiah WestwoodJohn Obadiah Westwood was an English entomologist and archaeologist also noted for his artistic talents.Born in Sheffield, he studied to be a lawyer but abandoned that for his scientific interests....
) 1842 is found from KumaonKumaon DivisionFor Kumaoni/Kumauni People see Kumauni PeopleKumaon or Kumaun is one of the two regions and administrative divisions of Uttarakhand, a mountainous state of northern India, the other being Garhwal. It includes the districts of Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Nainital, Pithoragarh, and Udham Singh Nagar...
to Tavoy. - A. varuna varuna (WhiteWhiteWhite is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
) is found from MerguiMerguiMyeik is a city in Tanintharyi Division in Myanmar , located in the extreme south of the country on the coast of an island on the Andaman Sea. the estimated population was over 209,000. The area inland from the city is a major smuggling corridor into Thailand.-History:Myeik was the southernmost...
to southern MyanmarMyanmarBurma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
and is rare.
Habits
The Common Batwing is a butterfly of hot, low altitude jungles. It has a slow and graceful flight and can be seen cruising along river valleys and high over stream-beds. Both sexes frequent flowers, Lantana being a preferred species. It has a disagreeable smell.See also
- LepidopteraLepidopteraLepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
- Butterflies
- Papilionidae
- List of butterflies of India
- List of butterflies of India (Papilionidae)