Lexias pardalis
Encyclopedia
The Common Archduke is a butterfly
of the Nymphalidae family.
reaching about 80–90 mm (3.1–3.5 ). This species exhibits a strong sexual dimorphism, with very different pattern and colour. The upperside of the wings of the male are black with shimmering greenish blue margins, especially in the hind wings. The uppersides of the criptic wings of the larger females are dark brown with several rows of yellow spots, a pale green pattern on the lower wings. The wing pattern of yellow spots continue across the thorax and the abdomen.
The undersides in the males are brownish with whitish spots, while in the female the forewings are dark brown and the hindwings are pale bluish green, with whitish spots in both wings. The apical portion of the antennae are yellow-orange in both sexes, while in the very similar species Lexias dirtea
the clubs are black. Larva
e feed on Cratoxylum formosum
and Cratoxylum cochinchinense
, while adults mainly feed on rotting fruits, especially in the genus Garcinia
, but also on nectar of flowers. Caterpillars of the last instars are pale green and have many spines radiating from the body. Also the chrisalis are pale green.
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...
of the Nymphalidae family.
Description
Lexias pardalis has a wingspanWingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
reaching about 80–90 mm (3.1–3.5 ). This species exhibits a strong sexual dimorphism, with very different pattern and colour. The upperside of the wings of the male are black with shimmering greenish blue margins, especially in the hind wings. The uppersides of the criptic wings of the larger females are dark brown with several rows of yellow spots, a pale green pattern on the lower wings. The wing pattern of yellow spots continue across the thorax and the abdomen.
The undersides in the males are brownish with whitish spots, while in the female the forewings are dark brown and the hindwings are pale bluish green, with whitish spots in both wings. The apical portion of the antennae are yellow-orange in both sexes, while in the very similar species Lexias dirtea
Lexias dirtea
The Archduke, Lexias dirtea, is a species of butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. It is found in India, Burma, Northern Thailand, Southern China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the Philippines.-Subspecies:...
the clubs are black. Larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e feed on Cratoxylum formosum
Cratoxylum formosum
Cratoxylum formosum or pink mempat is a species of flowering plant in the Hypericaceae family. Its commercial name in timber production is "mampat" ....
and Cratoxylum cochinchinense
Cratoxylum cochinchinense
Cratoxylum cochinchinense is a species of flowering plant in the Hypericaceae family.It is found in Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.-References:...
, while adults mainly feed on rotting fruits, especially in the genus Garcinia
Garcinia
Garcinia is a plant genus of the family Clusiaceae native to Asia, Australia, tropical and southern Africa, and Polynesia. The number of species is highly disputed, with various sources recognizing between 50 and about 300 taxa as specifically valid...
, but also on nectar of flowers. Caterpillars of the last instars are pale green and have many spines radiating from the body. Also the chrisalis are pale green.
Habitat
Lexias pardalis prefer paths, clearings and edges of primary forests and they are easily sighted in sunny areas standing on the forest floor.Subspecies
- Lexias pardalis pardalis (ainan)
- Lexias pardalis jadeitina (Fruhstorfer, 1913) (NE. IndiaIndiaIndia , 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...
, Burma – N. ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, S.YunnanYunnanYunnan 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...
) - Lexias pardalis eleanor (Fruhstorfer, 1898) (S. China, LaosLaosLaos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
) - Lexias pardalis nephritica (Fruhstorfer, 1913) (SumatraSumatraSumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
) - Lexias pardalis nasiensis Tsukada, 1991 (NasiNasiNāśī’ is a Hebrew title meaning prince in Biblical Hebrew, Prince in Mishnaic Hebrew, or president in Modern Hebrew.-Genesis and Ancient Israel:...
) - Lexias pardalis gigantea (Fruhstorfer, 1898) (NiasNiasNīas is an island off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago, containing the Hinako archipelago....
) - Lexias pardalis pallidulus Tsukada, 1991 (Musala Island)
- Lexias pardalis dirteana (Corbet, 1941) (SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
) - Lexias pardalis ritsemae (Fruhstorfer, 1906) (BangkaBangkaBangka can refer to:* Bangka Island, an island of Indonesia* Bangka Regency, Indonesia* Bangka Strait, a strait of Indonesia* Bangka language, spoken in Indonesia* Tagalog: bangka, an outrigger canoe* Wanhua District, Taipei City...
) - Lexias pardalis silawa (Fruhstorfer, 1913) (BelitungBelitungBelitung, , is an island on the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in the Java Sea. The island is known for its pepper and for its tin. It was in the possession of the British from 1812 until the British ceded control of the island to the Dutch in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824...
) - Lexias pardalis nigricans Hanafusa, 1989 (Karimata)
- Lexias pardalis borneensis Tsukada, 1991 (BorneoBorneoBorneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, Natuna, Laut) - Lexias pardalis cavarna (Fruhstorfer, 1913) (PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Balabac) - Lexias pardalis tethys Tsukada, 1991 (PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, PalawanPalawanPalawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
) - Lexias pardalis ellora (Fruhstorfer, 1898) (PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, MindoroMindoroMindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
) - Lexias pardalis saifuli Hanafusa, 1992