Cethosia biblis

Red Lacewing
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Cethosia
Species: C. biblis
Binomial name
Cethosia biblis
(Drury, 1773)

Cethosia biblis, common name Red Lacewing, is a species of heliconiine butterfly belonging to the Nymphalidae family.

Contents

Description

Cethosia biblis is medium-sized butterfly, with a wingspan reaching about 8–9 centimetres (3.1–3.5 in). In this species the sexes are dimorphic. In males the dorsal sides of the wings are bright orange-red, framed by a black outline with white spots. The undersides range from bright red to pale brown, interlaced by black and white. This astonishing pattern helps to disguise the shape of the butterfly, while the intense colour of the dorsal sides of the wings is a warning to predators that the Red Lacewing has a bad taste, deriving from the poisonous host plants of the caterpillars. The dorsal sides of the wings of the females are grayish-brownish with black spots and white bands and spots on the black margins.

Caterpillars have several reddish, black and white stripes, a black head and long black spikes that contain poison. In fact they mainly feed on poisonous climbing plants, mainly Passiflora species (Passiflora cochinchinensis, Passiflora moluccana, etc.).

Distribution

This species can be found from India and Nepal, east to southern China and the Philippines, and south to Indonesia. [1]

Gallery

Subspecies

References

  1. ^ a b Cethosia, funet.fi

External links