Acraea issoria

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Common Name:

Taxonomy:

Morphology:

Sexual Dimorphism:

Distribution:

Flight time:

Habitat:

Life History:

Voltinism:

Larval hosts:
(all locations)

Adult food sources:
(all locations)

Photos:
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the Yellow Coster                    Photos at the bottom of the page

Arthropoda - Insecta - Lepidoptera - Nymphalidae - Heliconiinae - Acraea - issoria (Hübner, 1818)

wingspan - 40-60mm, wing colour - UpF yellow, veins blackened (more extensively in female) with marginal black band, UnF similar to upper but paler; UpH yellow with black submarginal line and black veins, UnH similar to upper, eye colour - black, proboscis colour - grey, antennae colour - black, abdomen colour - black w/white spots, leg colour - black, flight - weak and slow

both sexes similar but female more muted in colour and upper wing veins more extensively blackened

India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Malaysia

March to November depending on location

evergreen broad-leaved forest edges and wet grassland up to 3000m a.s.l.

¦¦   egg    21-22 days   ¦¦   instar1    6-7 days   ¦¦   instar2    5-6 days   ¦¦   instar3    6 days   ¦¦   instar4    6 days   ¦¦
¦¦   instar5    7 days   ¦¦   pupa    9-10 days   ¦¦    Total egg-adult 60-64 days.   All times approximate.
NOTE: One report gives much longer larval periods but more studies are needed

not known but at least two broods per annum

Buddleja asiatica (Buddlejaceae), Rubus ellipticus (Rosaceae), Boehmeria densiflora, Boehmeria formosana, Boehmeria japonica, Boehmeria nivea, Boehmeria penduliflora, Boehmeria salicifolia, Debregeasia edulis, Debregeasia hypoleuca, Debregeasia longifolia, Debregeasia saeneb, Debregeasia salicifolia, Elatostema lineolatum, Girardinia diversifolia, Gonostegia hirta, Pouzolzia elegans, Pouzolzia hirta, Pouzolzia sanguinea, Pouzolzia zeylanica, Urtica dioica, Urtica taiwaniana (Urticaceae)
Actual host plant used depends upon location and availabilty of plant species.

Nectar: Lantana camara, Verbena bonariensis (Verbanacae), Bidens sp., Erigeron sp. (Asteraceae), Vaccinium retusum (Ericaceae), Gentiana capitata (Gentianaceae)
NOTE: there are probably other plant species visited but not yet recorded or observed

Other: it is not known if they feed on any other resources