<> Euploea core (Cramer,1780) <>

the Common Indian Crow ผีเสื้อจรกาหนอนยี่โถ

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Photo taken at Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 450m a.s.l.

Euploea core is a very common and widespread species, probably due to its wide choice of acceptable larval and adult food sources. They are skillful fliers with a leisurely gliding flight. There are only minor differences in colour and markings between the sexes making it difficult to determine sex in the field. In early morning the males often congregate with some other Danaid species to feed on pyrrolizidine alkaloids oozing from the stems and seed pods of Senna bushes. These alkaloids make them unpalatable to potential predators.

This species often roosts in small groups of 10 or so and in the dry season much larger aggregations can sometimes be seen along the courses of dry river beds in forested areas. The species is multivoltine with several generations each year. The adult female lays her eggs singly on the buds or underside of young leaves on the host plant. On eclosure the larva consumes the eggshell and in the latter stages pupates on the underside of a leaf or stem on the host plant.

Synonyms and previously used names: Euploea siamensis, Euploea andamanensis, Euploea layardi, Euploea charox, Euploea bumila, Euploea defigurata, Euploea bauermanni, Euploea distanti, Euploea alcathoe, Euploea subdita, Crastia binghami, Crastia prunosa, Crastia circuita, Crastia tonkinensis, Euploea godarti, Euploea orontobate, Danais amymone, Chirosa fuscosa

Taxonomy: Animalia - Arthropoda - Insecta - Lepidoptera - Nymphalidae - Danainae - Euploea - core

Regional subspecies: Euploea core core (NE India), E.core distantii (Indonesia-Sumatra), E.core godartii (Myanmar, N.Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam), E.core graminifera (S.Myanmar, S.Thailand, W.Malaysia), E.core haworthi (Indonesia), E.core vermiculata (Nepal, N.Myanmar)

Regional Distribution: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia

Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 450m a.s.l.

Habitat: Euploea core is found in a wide range of rural and urban habitats including evergreen and deciduous forest, scrubland, grassland, agricultural land, hill slopes, parks, and gardens. Usually near rivers or streams and up to 2700m a.s.l.

Flight time: all year depending on location Wingspan: 75-85mm

Life History: egg 3-7 days instar 1 3-7 days instar 2 2-6 days instar 3 3-7 days instar 4 3-5 days instar 5 3-6 days pupa 13-25 days Total egg to adult 30-63 days.
NOTE: There is a big increase in lifecycle times during the winter dry period. Minimum figures above represent wet season averages and maximum figures represent dry season times.

Larval Hosts: Aganosma cymosa, Allamanda cathartica, Anodendron parviflorum, Asclepias curassavica, Calotropis gigantea, Carissa carandas, Carissa spinarum, Cascabela thevetia, Cerbera manghas, Ceropegia cumingiana, Ceropegia glabriflora, Cryptolepis buchanani, Cryptolepis sinensis, Gomphocarpus fruticosus, Gomphocarpus physocarpus, Gymnanthera oblonga, Gymnema sylvestre, Hemidesmus indicus, Holarrhena pubescens, Hoya australis, Hoya carnosa, Hoya cumingiana, Ichnocarpus frutescens, Leptadenia reticulata, Nerium oleander, Ochrosia oppositifolia, Parsonsia alboflavescens, Pentatropis capensis, Secamone elliptica, Toxocarpus wightianus, Trachelospermum jasminoides, Urceola rosea, Vincetoxicum carnosum, Vincetoxicum indicum, (Apocynaceae), Ficus arnottiana, Ficus ampelos, Ficus benghalensis, Ficus benjamina, Ficus drupacea, Ficus hederacea, Ficus melinocarpa, Ficus microcarpa, Ficus nervosa, Ficus pandurata, Ficus pumila, Ficus pyriformis, Ficus racemosa, Ficus religiosa, Ficus tinctoria, Ficus variolosa, Ficus virens, Streblus asper (Moraceae), Mimusops elengi (Sapotaceae), Gaillardia pulchella (Asteraceae), Aphananthe cuspidata (Cannabaceae), Ayenia elegans (Malvaceae), Barleria prionitis (Acanthaceae)
Actual host plant used depends upon location and availabilty of plant species.

Adult Food Sources: Nectar - Celosia argentea (Amaranthaceae), Adenostemma lavenia, Ageratina adenophora, Ageratum conyzoides, Bidens pilosa, Chromolaena odorata, Cosmos bipinnatus, Cosmos sulphureus, Crassocephalum cerpidioides, Cyanthillium conyzoides, Gynura nitida, Lagascea mollis, Mikania micrantha, Parthenium hysterophorus, Tagetes erecta, Taraxacum javanicum, Tridax procumbens, Xerochrysum bracteatum, Youngia japonica, Zinnia elegans (Asteraceae), Rhamnus wightii, Ziziphus mauritiana, Ziziphus oenoplia (Rhamnaceae), Clerodendrum infortunatum, Coleus barbatus, Leucas lamiifolia, Mesosphaerum suaveolens, Premna tomentosa, Rotheca serrata, Tectona grandis, Vitex negundo (Lamiaceae), Ehretia aspera, Heliotropium indicum, Trichodesma indicum, Trichodesma zeylanicum (Boraginaceae), Euphorbia milii, Euphorbia rothiana, Jatropha gossypiifolia (Euphorbiaceae), Albizia lebbeck, Bauhinia purpurea, Bauhinia variegata, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Cassia fistula, Crotalaria retusa, Cytisus scoparius, Gliricidia sepium, Libidibia coriaria (Fabaceae), Ixora coccinea, Wendlandia coriacea (Rubiaceae), Alstonia scholaris, Carissa carandas, Carissa spinarum, Nerium odorum (Apocynacae), Duranta erecta, Lantana camara, Stachytarpheta indica, Verbena rigida (Verbenaceae), Cestrum aurantiacum, Solanum mauritianum (Solanaceae), Hypericum japonicum, Hypericum mysorense (Hypericaceae), Justicia adhatoda, Pseuderanthemum reticulatum, Rostellularia procumbens (Acanthaceae), Hibiscus hirtus, Sida acuta (Malvaceae), Oplismenus undulatifolius (Poaceae), Oxalis latifolia (Oxalidaceae), Verbascum thapsus (Scrophulariaceae), Azadirachta indica, Heynea trijuga (Meliaceae), Mappia nimmoniana (Icacinaceae), Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, Syzygium cumini (Myrtaceae), Oenothera rosea (Onagraceae), Fragaria nubicola, Prinsepia utilis, Rubus ellipticus (Rosaceae), Anacardium occidentale (Anacardiaceae), Antigonon leptopus (Polygonaceae), Santalum album (Santalaceae), Acer campbellii (Sapindaceae), Terminalia catappa, Terminalia pallida (Combretaceae), Bergera koenigii, Zanthoxylum avicennae (Rutaceae), Antirrhinum majus (Plantaginaceae), Melastoma malabathricum, Osbeckia stellata (Melastomataceae), Acer campbellii (Aceraceae), Alnus nepalensis (Betulaceae), Cyananthus incanus (Campanulaceae), Rhododendron falconeri (Ericaceae), Engelhardia spicata (Juglandaceae), Machilus odoratissimus (Lauraceae), Dendrobium candidum (Orchidaceae). Other - mud puddling, rotting fruit.