Kingdom Animalia Family Nymphalidae Scientific name Aulocera brahminus Rank Species | Class Insecta Genus Aulocera Phylum Arthropoda Order Butterflies and moths | |
Similar Aulocera swaha, Butterflies and moths, Aulocera saraswati, Callerebia, Lethe | ||
Narrow-banded Satyr Aulocera brahminus is a Brown butterfly that is found in the Himalayas.
Contents
Range
The butterfly is found in the Himalayas from Kashmir eastwards to Garhwal, Kumaon, Nepal and Sikkim.
Status
As per Evans, it is "Common".
Description
The Narrow-banded Satyr is 55 to 68 mm in wingspan.
The Narrow-banded satyrs are large powerfully built Himalayan butterflies which are black or very dark brown above. They are characterised by a white discal band across both wings. The hindwing band is narrow and even in width. The white discal spots in 1 to 4 along the inner edge of the forewing are in line. The wings are rounded with convex termens and have checquered fringes. A dark apical spot or ocellus is present on the forewing. The under hindwing is dark below, with beautiful white variegations not as prominent as the dark background.
The tegumen is gradually sloped to the tip.
Earlier Aulocera brahminoides was considered a subspecies of A. brahminus. In A. brahminus, the under-forewing apical ocellus is well-defined and prominently pupilled while in A. brahminoides it is less well defined, much smaller and darker. The upper-hindwing discal band to dorsum, which is a characteristic feature in A. brahminus is much curved in the case of A. brahminoides.