The Common Palmfly

Elymnias hypermnestra

Description

Elymnias hypermnestra has bluish black forewings with blue submarginal spots on the upper sides. The underside of the butterfly is mottled with reddish brown striae, on the back wing of the ribs there is a white spot.

Larva: larvae of Elymnias hypermnestra are cylindrical, about 3 mm in size, pale yellowish in color. The head capsule is black, the body is covered by thick setae with transparent droplets at the ends. At the 5th instar stage, the body color is green.

Pupa: Elymnias hypermnestra pupa is green with yellowish stripes with a pink outline on the dorsum of the thorax, dorsolateral and lateral to the abdomen. length is about 22-23 mm.

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

:

Elymnias

SPECIES

:

Elymnias hypermnestra

Distribution

Elymnias hypermnestra can be found in primary and secondary forests, oil palm plantations, parks and places with an altitude of up to 800 m above sea level.

Geography

Continent : Asia, Australia

Country : Elymnias hypermnestra spread across India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Laos, South Vietnam, Thailand, West Malaysia, Palawan, Philippines, Taiwan, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java and Bali.

Habits and Lifestyle

Elymnias hypermnestra flies slowly, tending to fly around the tops of shrubs or tree branches, are often seen visiting flowers and puddles.

Lifestyle

Arboreal

Biome

Tropical rain forest

Climate Zone

Tropical

Diet and Nutrition

Larvae Elymnias hypermnestra feed on the leaves of host plants from the Aracaceae family, such as Dypsis lutescens.

Diet : Herbivore (larva), Nectarivore

Mating Habits

Elymnias hypermnestra reproduce by laying eggs (ovipar), female butterflies lay their eggs one by one on the leaf blade of the host plant. The eggs are spherical with a slightly protruding top, between 1.3 – 1.4 mm in diameter, white in color and turn yellow the next day, irregular surface. When the larvae hatch, they eat the egg shells to get out, after which they are consumed before consuming the first leaves.

Reproduction session : –

Incubation periods: 4 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. Elymnias hypermnestra on Wikipedia article 
  3. Elymnias hypermnestra agina article 
  4. Common Palm Fly article 
  5. Life History of the Common Palmfly article