Badamia exclamationis
Encyclopedia
Badamia exclamationis, commonly known as the Brown Awl, is a butterfly
belonging to the family Hesperiidae, which is found in India
, Southeast Asia
and Australia
.
, India
, Myanmar
, South Yunnan
, Australia
and Japan
.
The butterfly ranges over the complete Indian subcontinent
and is also found in the Andaman islands
.
The type locality is South India
.
and 'Rare' in the Andaman islands
. Wynter-Blyth (1957) records it as 'Not Rare' and 'Locally Common'. Kunte (2000) reports it as common in deciduous forests during the monsoon months and the evergreen forests in the following months.
During a population explosion, like those of the Common Banded Awl, the caterpillars of the Brown Awl may strip away all their food supply forcing the butterflies to migrate to other places where fresh supply of host-plants are available and even into other habitats such as shrubs, grasslands and gardens.
The Brown Awl flies as low as 6 feet over the bushes or as high as 60 to 75 feet in the canopy. The adults feed at lower levels on flowers of shrubs and small trees, but ascend to higher reaches of the vegetation to lay eggs or to bask, which it does very occasionally, holding its wings flat with the forewings covering the hindwngs thus giving an arrowhead effect. The flight of the butterfly is fast and bounding with an audible wing-beat.
When inactive, it rests on the undersides of leaves in shady forest spots, with the head pointing downwards. If disturbed it will generally buzz around energetically before returning to the same spot to rest.
The Brown Awl is a non-descript brown butterfly, darker above and lighter below. The sexes are alike, except for 3 to 4 semi-transparent spots on the forewing which cannot be differentiated in the field. The skipper has a light-brown abdomen with black bands across it. The DSF is usually smaller, paler, and may not have the forewing spots.
This skipper is unmistakable because of its long and narrow wings. It has the longest wings in proportion to breadth of all Indian butterflies.
Genus characters
Species description
On hatching the larva webs the edges of leaves together with silk to form a roomy cell from a leaf in which it resides throughout the larval stage. When disturbed, it can quite briskly and even drop off. The caterpillars of the Brown Awl grow faster than most of those of other families, and have moist, sticky droppings.
At the time of pupation they descend close to the ground, looking for suitable spots to pupate. The caterpillar constructs a tubular cell from a leaf by drawing the edges together with thick strands of silk. In this cell, the caterpillar prepares an extensive silk bed on which it sits awaiting pupation. The freshly formed pupa clings onto the silken pad almost immediately.
:
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
belonging to the family Hesperiidae, which is found in 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...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Range
The Brown Awl is found in Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, 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...
, 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....
, South Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The butterfly ranges over the complete Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
and is also found in the Andaman islands
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
.
The type locality is South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
.
Status
As per Evans (1932), the butterfly is 'Common' in IndiaIndia
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...
and 'Rare' in the Andaman islands
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
. Wynter-Blyth (1957) records it as 'Not Rare' and 'Locally Common'. Kunte (2000) reports it as common in deciduous forests during the monsoon months and the evergreen forests in the following months.
Habits
A forest butterfly, the Brown Awl favours openings and edges of deciduous and evergreen forests while its caterpillars are to be found in moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests. It flies about either late or early in the morning in the shade of the jungles. It can be sometimes seen in bright sunlight visiting flowers, such as Glycosmis Buddleia, Chromolaena and Lantana, but is very wary and energetic at such times, moving jerkily and rapidly between flowers or across infloresences. It can also be seen mud-puddling or at bird-droppings.During a population explosion, like those of the Common Banded Awl, the caterpillars of the Brown Awl may strip away all their food supply forcing the butterflies to migrate to other places where fresh supply of host-plants are available and even into other habitats such as shrubs, grasslands and gardens.
The Brown Awl flies as low as 6 feet over the bushes or as high as 60 to 75 feet in the canopy. The adults feed at lower levels on flowers of shrubs and small trees, but ascend to higher reaches of the vegetation to lay eggs or to bask, which it does very occasionally, holding its wings flat with the forewings covering the hindwngs thus giving an arrowhead effect. The flight of the butterfly is fast and bounding with an audible wing-beat.
When inactive, it rests on the undersides of leaves in shady forest spots, with the head pointing downwards. If disturbed it will generally buzz around energetically before returning to the same spot to rest.
Description
- See glossaryGlossary of Lepidopteran termsThis glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
for terms used
The Brown Awl is a non-descript brown butterfly, darker above and lighter below. The sexes are alike, except for 3 to 4 semi-transparent spots on the forewing which cannot be differentiated in the field. The skipper has a light-brown abdomen with black bands across it. The DSF is usually smaller, paler, and may not have the forewing spots.
This skipper is unmistakable because of its long and narrow wings. It has the longest wings in proportion to breadth of all Indian butterflies.
Detailed description
Watson (1891) gives a detailed description:Genus characters
- Forewing, narrow, elongated ; costa slightly arched at base, exterior margin very oblique and slightly convex below the apex ; cell very long and narrow, extending three-fourths the wing ; first subcostal branch emitted at two-fifths, second at one-fifth, third at one-seventh, fourth close to and fifth at end of the cell ; disco-cellulars very slender, inwardly oblique, of nearly equal length, upper bent inward close to subcostal ; upper radial from the angle, lower from their middle ; median branches curved at their base, middle branch emitted at about one-fourth, and lower at three-fourths before end of the cell ; submedian curved in the middle ; hindwing short ; apex very convex, angularly lobed at anal angle, abdominal margin short ; precostal projecting inward ; costal vein arched upward from the base ; second subcostal emitted at one-third from the base ; cell broad throughout ; disco-cellulars very slender, scarcely visible, of equal length ; radial from their angle, very slender ; middle median at about one-third, and lower at one-fifth from the base ; submedian straight, internal slightly curved. Thorax stout ; abdomen rather long, attenuated ; head broad ; palpi broad and flattened in front, bristly on outer edge, third joint long,projected forward, cylindrical ; fore-tibiae tufted beneath, femora slightly pilose beneath ; antennae with a lengthened club and long pointed tip.
Species description
- "Upperside dark purplish brown, the base of both wings greyish olive brown.
- Male. Forewing with three transparent slender yellow spots disposed longitudinally on the upper disc, the inner spot ending within the cell.
- Female. Forewing with the spots larger, the middle spot oblique and irregularly angulated ; a less distinct spot also above the middle of sub-median vein. Underside pale greyish brown : forewing with discal area darker brown, the spots as above, and pale ochreous posterior border: hindwing with a dark brown anal area bordered above by a short pale ochreous streak. Thorax greyish olive brown ; abdomen dark brown with pale ochreous segmental bands; head and palpi in front pale ochreous with brown streaks; third joint of palpi brown ; legs brown above, pale beneath."
Similar Species
Unlike the other Awls, the Brown Awl lacks the narrow white wing bands on the hind wings. The very distinctive characteristics of the Brown Awl are the characteristic shape of the body and the narrower wings than the other Awls.Eggs
The Brown Awl lays many eggs on a single plant, one at a time, on the tips of fresh shoots. The dome-shaped egg is pale green with longitudinal ridges having fine beadings; a total 13 ridges in all.Larva
The larva is a pale violaceous yellow, with numerous black transverse dorsal lines ; the prolegs are whitish encircled with black. The head is yellow, approximately heart-shaped, with a black band and many tiny black spots.On hatching the larva webs the edges of leaves together with silk to form a roomy cell from a leaf in which it resides throughout the larval stage. When disturbed, it can quite briskly and even drop off. The caterpillars of the Brown Awl grow faster than most of those of other families, and have moist, sticky droppings.
At the time of pupation they descend close to the ground, looking for suitable spots to pupate. The caterpillar constructs a tubular cell from a leaf by drawing the edges together with thick strands of silk. In this cell, the caterpillar prepares an extensive silk bed on which it sits awaiting pupation. The freshly formed pupa clings onto the silken pad almost immediately.
Pupa
The Pupa is stubby, with protruding eyes and a prominent projection on the head in between them. The pupa may be light-brown or violaceous in colour. The body tapers away from the shoulders towards the rear. The abdomwn is creamish with a row of four black spots on each side. The pupa is shiny, but plastered with a white powder.Hostplants
The caterpillars have been recorded on the following deciduous and semi-evergreen forest plants, mostly from the family CombretaceaeCombretaceae
Combretaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 600 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in 18 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, Combretum imberbe. Three genera, Conocarpus, Laguncularia and Lumnitzera, grow in mangrove habitats ....
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- Large climbing shrubs of CombretumCombretumThe bushwillows or combretums, Combretum, make up the type genus of the family Combretaceae. The genus comprises about 370 species of trees and shrubs, roughly 300 of which are native to tropical and southern Africa, about 5 to Madagascar, some 25 to tropical Asia and approximately 40 to tropical...
such as Combretum albidum, Combretum latifolium and Combretum ovalifolium. - Large forest trees of TerminaliaTerminalia (plant)Terminalia is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising around 100 species distributed in tropical regions of the world. This genus gets it name from Latin terminus, referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots.Trees of this genus...
genus such as Terminalia bellerica, Terminalia catappaTerminalia catappaTerminalia catappa is a large tropical tree in the Leadwood tree family, Combretaceae. The tree has been spread widely by humans and the native range is uncertain. It has long been naturalised in a broad belt extending from Africa to Northern Australia and New Guinea through Southeast Asia and...
and Terminalia oblongata. - Linociera purpurea.
- FicusFicusFicus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
spp.
See also
- CoeliadinaeCoeliadinaeCoeliadinae is a subfamily of the skipper butterfly family . With about 150 described species, this is one of several smallish skipper butterfly subfamilies. It was first proposed by William Frederick Evans in 1937....
- List of butterflies of India (Coeliadinae)
- List of butterflies of India (Hesperiidae)