Zipaetis saitis

Tamil Catseye
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Zipaetis
Species:	Z. saitis
Binomial name
Zipaetis saitis

The Tamil Catseye (Zipaetis saitis) is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in South India.

Description

Upperside in fresh specimens velvet-black, or brown to light brown in the female. Fore wing with a broad, oblique, snow-white band from middle of costa to near apex of interspace 1, inwardly emarginate in its lower third. Hind wing with a similar broad white post-discal band parallel to the posterior two-thirds of the terminal margin, the outer margin of the band emarginate between the veins. Underside similar, ground-colour paler; the white bands as on the upperside; both fore and hind wings with a subterminal sinuous pale line. Hindwing with a row of five ocelli enclosed in a common silvery narrow band, on the inner side of the white band ; each ocellus with a white centre, an inner ring of ochraceous, and an outer ring of blackish brown; the ocelli at each end of the row the smallest, the preapical very large and bi-pupilled. Antennae ochraceous red ; head, thorax and abdomen dark brown.^[1]

Expanse: 64–74 mm. (2.55-2.9").

Habitat: Southern India; the Nilgiris, Anaimalais ; Cochin and Travancore.

References