<> Eulaceura osteria Butler, 1872 <>
the Elegant Emperor or Purple Duke จักรพรรดิสดสวย
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Photo taken at Than Bok Khorani National Park, Krabi, Thailand. 60m a.s.l.
Eulaceura osteria is a rapid flier that usually settles on the underside of leaves with its wings closed. In the early morning however they can often be seen on the upperside of leaves basking in the sun. The species is confined mostly to the more southerly parts of the region but is found further north in Vietnam and China. It is sexually dimorphic and the sexes look quite different to each other. It is multivoltine with several broods per annum. The female lays her eggs singly on the underside of leaves on the host plant.
Synonyms and previously used names: Apatura panchaea
Taxonomy: Animalia - Arthropoda - Insecta - Lepidoptera - Nymphalidae - Apaturinae - Eulaceura - osteria
Regional subspecies: Eulaceura osteria jembala (E.Malaysia), Eulaceura osteria kumana (S.Myanmar, W.Thailand, W.Malaysia, Singapore), Eulaceura osteria osteria (Java-Indonesia), Eulaceura osteria sitarama (S.Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Yunnan-China)
Regional Distribution: Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia
Habitat: Eulaceura osteria is found in open montane forest, usually at lower elevations up to ~1000m a.s.l.
Flight time: most of the year depending on location Wingspan: 60mm
Life History: egg 3-4 days instar 1 3 days instar 2 4-5 days instar 3 4-5 days instar 4 7-10 days instar 5 11-12 days pupa 7-8 days Total egg to adult 39-47 days
All times are approximate and can vary depending on the season and on the host used.
Larval Hosts: Gironniera nervosa, Gironniera subaequalis (Cannabaceae). NOTE: There may be other hosts that have not yet been recorded.
Adult Food Sources: Nectar - not known if it visits flowers for nectar. Other - mud puddling, ripe fruit of Melastoma malabathricum and possibly other Melastoma sp. (Melastomataceae)
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| Khao Phanom Bencha N.P., Krabi, Thailand ♂ |
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| Khao Phanom Bencha N.P., Krabi, Thailand ♀ |
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| Gironniera nervosa, a larval host |
Links to other pages in this series for species in the same subfamily
Herona marathus
Mimathyma chevana
