Vanessa indica
Encyclopedia
Vanessa indica, called the Asian Admiral in the United States
and the Indian Red Admiral elsewhere, is a butterfly
found in the higher altitude regions of India
. It is a close relative of the Painted Lady
.
Resembles Vanessa cardui
but the ground-colour is darker both on the upper and under sides, and the orange markings deeper and richer in tint. Differs also as follows:—Underside fore wing: the ochraceous orange-red on disc, and across cell proportionately of less extent, and uniform, not getting paler towards apex of cell; the upper four spots of the prcapical transverse series on the black apical area minute. it is about 5 inches in length. Hind wing : the postdiscal transverse band much narrower and shorter, not extending below vein 1, margined inwardly by a series of broad black subcrescentic marks ; the tornal angle with a small patch of violet scales bordered inwardly by a short black transverse line. Underside very much darker than in V. cardui, the orange-red on disc and in cell on fore wing restricted as on the upperside ; three small transversely placed blue spots beyond the cell. Hind wing: the mottling comparatively very dark, purplish blade, with slender white margins, shaded on disc with rich dark olive-brown ; the postdiscal series of ocelli dark and somewhat obscure; an inner subtei-minal transverse series of blue, and an outer very much slenderer transverse series of black lunules. Cilia of both fore and hind wings white, alternated with brown. Antenna) black, tipped with pale ochraceous ; head, thorax and abdomen with dark olive-brown pubescence ; beneath, the palpi, thorax and abdomen pale ochraceous brown.
t
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United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Indian Red Admiral elsewhere, is a butterfly
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...
found in the higher altitude regions of 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...
. It is a close relative of the Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui
Vanessa cardui is a well-known colourful butterfly, known as the Painted Lady, or in North America as the Cosmopolitan. This butterfly has a strange pattern of flying in a sort of screw shape.-Distribution:...
.
Description
Vanessa cardui
Vanessa cardui is a well-known colourful butterfly, known as the Painted Lady, or in North America as the Cosmopolitan. This butterfly has a strange pattern of flying in a sort of screw shape.-Distribution:...
but the ground-colour is darker both on the upper and under sides, and the orange markings deeper and richer in tint. Differs also as follows:—Underside fore wing: the ochraceous orange-red on disc, and across cell proportionately of less extent, and uniform, not getting paler towards apex of cell; the upper four spots of the prcapical transverse series on the black apical area minute. it is about 5 inches in length. Hind wing : the postdiscal transverse band much narrower and shorter, not extending below vein 1, margined inwardly by a series of broad black subcrescentic marks ; the tornal angle with a small patch of violet scales bordered inwardly by a short black transverse line. Underside very much darker than in V. cardui, the orange-red on disc and in cell on fore wing restricted as on the upperside ; three small transversely placed blue spots beyond the cell. Hind wing: the mottling comparatively very dark, purplish blade, with slender white margins, shaded on disc with rich dark olive-brown ; the postdiscal series of ocelli dark and somewhat obscure; an inner subtei-minal transverse series of blue, and an outer very much slenderer transverse series of black lunules. Cilia of both fore and hind wings white, alternated with brown. Antenna) black, tipped with pale ochraceous ; head, thorax and abdomen with dark olive-brown pubescence ; beneath, the palpi, thorax and abdomen pale ochraceous brown.
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Range
V. indica is found in the higher altitude regions (above 2000 feet) of India including the Nilgiri Hills in southern India. It also occurs on smaller hill ranges in Peninsular India such as the Nandi hills near BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
.
Larva
The larvae of V. indica are known to feed on:- Urtica (nettles)
- Urtica thunbergianaUrtica thunbergianaUrtica thunbergiana is a species of the genus Urtica. It is found in Japan, mainland China and Taiwan. The habitat if the species is moist forests in the mountains. It is in flower from July to September, and its seeds ripen from August to October. The larvae of Vanessa indica, a species of...
- Girardinia heterophylla (Himalayan nettle)
- BoehmeriaBoehmeriaBoehmeria is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to Asia and North America. The species include herbaceous perennials, shrubs and small trees. Although related to nettles, this genus does not have stinging hairs...
densiflora - Boehmeria nivea (Ramie)
Cultural references
- In March 1987 DPR Korea issued a postage stampPostage stampA postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
depicting Vanessa indica.
External links
- http://www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/nymphalidae/nymphalinae/vanessa/
- Kunte, K. 2010. Vanessa indica Herbst, 1794 – Indian Red Admiral. In, K. Kunte, U. Kodandaramaiah & Kalesh S. (eds.). Butterflies of India. v.1.0. accessed on 28 Feb 2010.