<> Parantica melaneus (Cramer,[1775]) <>

the Chocolate Tiger ผีเสื้อลายเสือสีตาล

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Photo taken at Chiang Dao Nature Sanctuary, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 540m a.s.l.

A very common and widespread species, although little research has been done. Slow gliding flight. There is very little difference in colour and markings between sexes. Multivoltine with several generations each year.

Synonyms and previously used names: Danais melanea, Danaida melaneus, Danaus melaneus, Hestia ephyre

Taxonomy: Animalia - Arthropoda - Insecta - Lepidoptera - Nymphalidae - Danainae - Parantica - melaneus

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

Habitat: montane forests up to 3000m a.s.l. Wingspan: 75-85mm

Flight time: all year depending on location

Larval Hosts: Jasminanthes mucronata, Marsdenia formosana, Marsdenia tinctoria, Vincetoxicum indicum (Apocynaceae). There may be other host plants that have not yet been recorded. Actual host plant used depends upon location and availabilty of plant species.

Adult Food Sources: Nectar - Lantana camara (Verbenaceae), Ageratum houstonianum, Bidens pilosa, Chromolaena odorata, Spilanthes paniculata (Asteraceae), Leea alata (Vitaceae), Heliotropium indicum (Boraginaceae). There are almost certainly other nectar sources that have not been recorded. Other - mud puddling.