Parthenos sylvia DATASHEET

 

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Parthenos sylvia
Photo taken at Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai. Thailand. 620m a.s.l.

A large and beautiful species widely distributed and fairly common throughout most of the region with the exception of the colder climates of the Himalayas. The sexes are visually similar but the female is a little larger.  It has a swift and powerful flight with rapid wing beats alternating with short spurts of smooth gliding. Although they are powerful fliers it is usually only over short distances, settling periodically on high vegetation. They are most often seen along streams where they move frequently to advantage points where they look down upon the territory below.

There is some regional variation in the colour of the wings, particularly the hindwings. Most often it is various shades of blue but in some locations the blue is replaced by light brown. Parthenos sylvia is multivoltine with several broods per annum. The adult female lays her eggs singly on the underside of a leaf on the host plant. The pupae occur in two forms, either green or brown, and are suspended by the cremaster from beneath a leaf or stem.

The genus Parthenos comprises of only three species but P.sylvia is the only one that is widespread, the other two are endemic to Papua New Guinea.

Synonyms and previously used names:    Papilio sylvia, Papilio sylla, Papilio gambrisius, Parthenos apicalis, Parthenos sinensis, Kallima sylvia, Nymphalis sylla

 

Taxonomy:  Animalia - Arthropoda - Insecta - Lepidoptera - Nymphalidae - Limenitidinae - Parthenos - sylvia

Regional subspecies:  Parthenos sylvia apicalis (Myanmar), P.sylvia borneensis (E.Malaysia), P.sylvia gambrisius (NE India, Myanmar), P.sylvia lilacinus (S.Thailand, W.Malaysia, Singapore), P.sylvia philippensis (Philippines, Taiwan), P.sylvia sylla (N.Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, S.China-Yunnan)

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

 

Parthenos sylvia
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand  620m a.s.l.

Habitat:  Parthenos sylvia is found in open areas within evergreen and deciduous montane forest, up to 1300m a.s.l. They are most frequently found in the vicinity of streams.

Flight time:  all year round, depending on location                                               Wingspan:  60-75mm

Life History:          egg   5 days          instar 1   2 days          instar 2    2 days          instar 3    2 days    instar 4    2-3 days        instar 5   6-7 days       pupa   8-10 days      Total egg to adult   26-31 days
All times are approximate and can vary depending on the season and on the host used.

Larval Hosts:  Solena amplexicaulis, Zanonia indica (Cucurbitaceae), Adenia hondala, Adenia penangiana, Passiflora siamica (Passifloraceae), Tinospora cordifolia, Tinospora sinensis (Menispermaceae).
Actual host plant used depends upon location and availabilty of plant species.

Adult Food Sources:  Nectar - Achillea millefolium, Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae), Lantana camara (Verbenaceae), Ixora chinensis, Ixora javanica (Rubiaceae). NOTE: There are probably other nectar sources that have not yet been recorded.  Other - mud puddling  (occasional), rotten fruit, tree sap

Parthenos sylvia
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Parthenos sylvia
Lamnamkok National Park, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Parthenos sylvia
Lamnamkok National Park, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Achillea millefolium
Achillea millefolium, a nectar source

Parthenos sylvia
Phnom Kulen, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Parthenos sylvia
Lamnamkok National Park, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Parthenos sylvia
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Lantana camara
Lantana camara, another nectar source

Parthenos sylvia
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Tinospora cordifolia
Tinospora cordifolia, a larval host

Adenia hondala
Adenia hondala, a very popular larval host

Parthenos sylvia
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Parthenos sylvia pupa
pupa


Butterflies of Thailand and SE Asia  -  BugsAlive Species Information Sheet
© All images are the copyright of Tim Stratford

 

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               This page updated 3rd November 2024