The Orange Tailed Awl

Bibasis sena

Description

Bibasis sena has dark brown upperwings without markings, dark brown undersides with a white discal band protruding from the hind wings from space 1b to the costa. White discal bands are also present on the underside of the forewings with glowing purplish-blue patches. The hind wings of the tornus are decorated with orange cilia along the termen. The legs are pale yellowish orange.

Larva: The larvae of Bibasis sena have a whitish, cylindrical body with four red-orange patches on the sides. The head is orange, the body is covered with white setae rather long at the dorso-lateral and sub-spiracles when hatching. At the next instar, the body of the caterpillar is yellowish with black bands across the body segments. Setae on the surface of his body shortens.

Pupa: Bibasis sena pupae are whitish with yellowish patches, but the next day they turn pale brown and are coated with a thin, whitish layer of powdery substance. There are small dorso-lateral and lateral black spots on most segments of the body.

Population Size

-

Life Span

-

WEIGHT​

-

LENGTH

Wingspan from 35 – 45 mm.

Ar

Arboreal

He

Herbivore

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Arthropoda

CLASS

:

Insecta

ORDER

:

Lepidoptera

FAMILY

:

Hesperiidae

GENUS

:

Bibasis

SPECIES

:

Bibasis sena

Distribution

Sena bibasis is found in swamps and clearing lands in tropical rainforest and moist deciduous forest to an altitude of about 600 m above sea level.

Geography

Continent : Asia

Country : Sena Bibasis is spread in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, China, Taiwan, Japan, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia (Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumba and Sumbawa).

Habits and Lifestyle

Bibasis sena flies at high speed and its ability to fly is strong, included as a crepuscular species that is active at dawn and dusk, often seen visiting puddles and basking under leaves while rest.

Lifestyle

Arboreal

Biome

Tropical rain forest

Climate Zone

Tropical

Diet and Nutrition

The larvae of Bibasis sena feed on the leaves of its host plant, Hiptage benghalensis. The caterpillars of this species take shelter between the leaves by making tortuous cuts from the edges of the leaves and folding the leaf pieces upwards.

Diet : Herbivore (larva), Nectarivore

Mating Habits

Bibasis sena reproduce by laying eggs (oviparous), the eggs are laid one by one on top of young shoots or on the upperside of the leaves of the host plant. Eggs are dome-shaped, bright burgundy color, the surface is covered with a vertical protruding line extending longitudinally from the area of ​​the upper micropillar to the edge of the base.

Life Cycle (Metamorfosis) : The eggs of Bibasis sena are laid individually on the young shoots or the upperside of the leaves of the host plant. When they hatch, the caterpillars will bite the polar parts of the egg shell. The newly hatched caterpillar has an initial length of about 1.8 mm, the first instar lasts approximately 2 days until the body length reaches 4.5-5mm. The body of the 2nd instar caterpillar is whitish to pale yellowish with black transverse bands on the body segments, the setae becomes short and inconspicuous. These instars last about 2 days with a body length of about 8-9 mm. The body pattern of the 3rd instar caterpillar is similar to that of the 2nd instar caterpillar. This instar lasts for 2-3 days with a body length of about 13-14 mm. The 4th instar caterpillar is very similar to the 3rd instar caterpillar but has the addition of three black, narrow dorsal bands, which become more prominent as growth takes place on this instar. These instars last 2.5-3 days with a body length of 27-28 mm. The 5th instar caterpillar is very similar to the 4th instar caterpillar but has some larger and wider black markings. This last instar takes about 5 days to complete with a body length of about 40 mm.

Towards the end of the 5th instar, the body of the caterpillar shortens gradually and its body turns a whitish / yellowish color. The caterpillars then stay in the leaves shelter to prepare for the pre-pupa stage. After tying itself to a silk pad near the transverse band, the prepupa becomes inactive for about 0.5 to 1 day before the onset of the pupal event. The cocoons are tied with a silk and cremastral belt attached to a short transverse band on the substrate, pupa length: 21-23 mm. After 7-8 days, the pupae become mostly black on the wing pads and all body segments, signaling the end of the pupal phase. The butterflies usually come out the next morning.

Reproduction session : –

Incubation periods: –

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. Bibasis sena on Wikipedia article 
  3. Life History of The Orange Tailed Awl article 
  4. Orange-tail Awl article