Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Lycaenidae Scientific name Spalgis epius | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Spalgis Rank Species | |
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Similar Spalgis, Miletinae, Liphyra brassolis, Curetis, Liphyra | ||
Carnivorous caterpillars of cambodia the apefly spalgis epius
Spalgis epius, the apefly, is a small butterfly found in Asia that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. It gets its name from the supposed resemblance of its caterpillar to the face of an ape.
Contents
- Carnivorous caterpillars of cambodia the apefly spalgis epius
- An apefly spalgis epius caterpillar feeding
- Male
- Female
- Subspecies
- References
An apefly spalgis epius caterpillar feeding
Male
Upperside: dull brown, slightly darker towards the apex of the forewing; also a more or less quadrate whitish spot beyond the apex of the cell on the same wing; in some specimens this spot is slightly diffuse. Underside: pale, silky, brownish white; forewings and hindwings crossed by numerous, very slender, short, sinuous, transverse, dark brown strigae which are outwardly slenderly edged with brownish white of a shade paler than that of the ground colour; both wings with an anticiliary dark brown line with on the inner side a similar edging. Forewing, in addition, with an oval white spot beyond the cell. Cilia of both forewings and hindwings of the same shade as the ground colour of the wings. Antenna, head, thorax and abdomen pale brown, club of antennae ochraceous at apex; beneath: the palpi and thorax brownish grey, abdomen pale brown.
Female
Upperside: slightly paler brown. Forewing: the cell and apex darker; a white spot similar to that in the male but larger, beyond the apex of the cell; in most specimens extended diffusely outwards and downwards. Hindwing: similar to that of the male. Underside: precisely as in the male.
The caterpillars of this butterfly, like other members of the subfamily Miletinae, are entomophagous and are predators of scale insects. The species unlike many other lycaenid butterflies is not myrmecophilous.
Subspecies
