Euthalia aconthea DATASHEET

 

<> Euthalia aconthea  (Cramer, [1777]) <>

the Common or Mango Baron     ผีเสื้อบารอนหนอนมะม่วง​

 
 
 

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

This species is fairly common and distributed throughout the whole region of SE Asia. The species is dimorphic and the sexes look very different with the female also being larger. Unusually, the female is often seen. The base colour of the wings is usually brown but not always (as can be seen in the photos below) and the colours within the markings can be quite variable, especially in the male. Like other species in this genus it is a strong flier but usually flies quite low.

Euthalia aconthea flies all year round and 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 larvae feed mostly at night.

Synonyms and previously used names:   Papilio aconthea, Euthalia merilia, Euthalia garuda, Euthalia apama, Aconthea primaria, Euthalia primaria, Nymphalis disconthea, Adolias garuda

 

Taxonomy:  Animalia - Arthropoda - Insecta - Lepidoptera - Nymphalidae - Limenitidinae - Euthalia - aconthea

Regional subspecies:  Euthalia aconthea borneensis (Borneo), E.aconthea garuda (NE India, Myanmar, N.Thailand, Cambodia), E.aconthea gurda (S.Thailand, W.Malaysia), E.aconthea kingtungensis (Yunnan, China), E.aconthea palawana (Philippines), E.aconthea suddhodana (Nepal). There are also a number of different subspecies recorded throughout the islands of Indonesia and the Philippines.

Regional Distribution:  India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Mayalsia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines

 

Athyma nefte
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand  ♀  1150m a.s.l.

Habitat:  Euthalia aconthea is found mainly in evergreen and deciduous montane forest. However, due to the widespread use of mango trees it is also found in urban areas. Often seen near water and has been recorded at elevations up to 2000m a.s.l. in the eastern Himalayas.

Flight time:  all year round, depending on location             Wingspan:  55-75mm

Life History:             egg   5 days         instar 1   3 days        instar 2    3 days         instar 3    3 days   instar 4    7 days     instar 5   10-11 days    pupa   9 days     Total egg to adult   40-42 days.    All times are approximate.

Larval Hosts:  Anacardium occidentale, Mangifera indica, Nothopegia beddomei, Toxicodendron succedaneum (Anacardiaceae), Morus alba, Streblus asper (Moraceae), Ziziphus mauritiana (Rhamnaceae), Dendrophthoe pentandra, Scurrula gracilifolia, Scurrula parasitica (Loranthaceae).  Actual host plant used depends upon location and availabilty of plant species.

Adult Food Sources:  Nectar - Varronia cylindristachya (Boraginaceae), Melastoma malabathricum (Melastomataceae), Pseuderanthemum maculatum (Acanthaceae). There may be other nectar sources that have not yet been recorded.   Other - mud puddling, tree sap, rotting fruit, and bird droppings.

Euthalia aconthea
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand  ♂

Euthalia aconthea
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand  ♂

Euthalia aconthea
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand  ♂

Euthalia aconthea pupa
pupa

Euthalia aconthea
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand  ♀

Euthalia aconthea
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand  ♀

Euthalia aconthea
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand  ♀

Euthalia aconthea
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand ♂

Anacardium occidentale
Anacardium occidentale, a larval host

Mangifera indica
Mangifera indica, another larval host

Melastoma malabathricum
Melastoma malabathricum, a nectar source

Pseuderanthemum maculatum
Pseuderanthemum maculatum, another nectar source


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