The Colour Sergeant

Athyma nefte

Description

Male Athyma nefte has velvety black upperwings with bluish-white markings, adjoining white post-discal spots from dorsum to space 2 and 3, post-discal spots in space 4, 5 and 6. Female butterflies have two distinct forms, namely –form nephthina with broad orange-brown stripes and –form subratum which is dark brown with narrow brownish markings and slightly spread.

Larva: larvae of Athyma nefte are dark brown to black, have branching dorsolateral spines, broad pale green markings on the 1st and 3rd abdominal segments of the dorsum, pale brown marks on the 5th abdominal segment. The capsule of the head is dark brown with a cone-shaped turbecles and short spines.

Pupa: The pupa of Athyma nefte is pale brown in color with dark brown stripes, with gold patches that adorn the surface of the body. On its back there are two curved protrusions, have a slender dorsum and a large thorax that extends sideways.

Population Size

-

Life Span

-

WEIGHT​

-

LENGTH

Wingspan from 50-60 mm.

Ar

Arboreal

He

Herbivore

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Arthropoda

CLASS

:

Insecta

ORDER

:

Lepidoptera

FAMILY

:

Nymphalidae

GENUS

:

Athyma

SPECIES

:

Athyma nefte

Distribution

Athyma nefte can be found in tropical rainforests, nature reserves and city parks.

Geography

Continent : Asia

Country : Athyma nefte can be found in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, South China, Vietnam and Singapore.

Habits and Lifestyle

Athyma nefte has fast flight, often seen flying around flowering shrubs in search of nectar in sunny weather.

Lifestyle

Arboreal

Biome

Tropical rain forest

Climate Zone

Tropical

Diet and Nutrition

Larvae of Athyma nefte eat the leaves of Glochidion sp.

Diet : Herbivore (larva), Nectarivore

Mating Habits

Athyma nefte reproduces by laying eggs (oviparous), the eggs are laid individually on the tips of the leaves of the host plant. The eggs are dark yellow-brown in color, slightly rounded in shape with a surface marked with hexagonal holes and short spines at the corner of the hole, so they look like small sea urchins.

Life cycle (Metamorfosis) : Athyma nefte

Reproduction session : –

Incubation periods: 2-3 days

Independent age : at birth

Baby name : –

Baby carrying : –

Population

Population status : Not Evaluated (NE)

NE

DD

LC

NT

VU

EN

CR

EW

EX

PHOTO GALLERY

Reference

  1. Khoon, S. 2010. A Field Guide to The Butterflies of Singapore. Ink On Paper Communications, Singapore.
  2. Tan, H. and Khoon, K.S. 2012. Caterpillars of Singapore’s Butterflies. National Park Board, Singapore.
  3. Life History of The Colour Sergeant article 
  4. Athyma nefte asita Moore 1858 article 
  5. Athyma nefte on Wikipedia article