Kingdom Animalia Family Hesperiidae Scientific name Tagiades japetus Rank Subspecies | Class Insecta Genus Tagiades Phylum Arthropoda Order Butterflies and moths | |
 | ||
Similar Tagiades, Tagiades gana, Butterflies and moths, Hyarotis adrastus, Tagiades parra | ||
Tagiades japetus, commonly known as the pied flat or the common snow flat, is a species of spread-winged skipper butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is widely distributed, being found from India, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, to Australia. It contains twenty-four recognized subspecies.
Contents
Life cycle and ecology
The eggs are laid on the upper surface of young leaves. They hatch in about six days, whereupon they will construct a leaf shelter by cutting the edge of a leaf, folding a triangular piece back, and then attaching it with silk. During the day, they hide under this shelter and only emerge at night to feed. The larvae feed on leaves of vines belonging to the genus Dioscorea; including Dioscorea transversa, Dioscorea alata, and Dioscorea numularia. They may make other shelters as they grow larger. After about 23 days, they pupate inside their final shelter, emerging as adults after 10 days. The adults are quick flyers, maintaining a height relatively close to ground. They are usually encountered resting underneath leaf surfaces. They feed on nectar from flowers during the morning. Mating is not seasonal and adults emerge all throughout the year. However, the population is greatest during the wet season.
Distribution and habitat
Tagiades japetus have a wide range of occurrence. They are found from Sri Lanka and India to the Himalayas, and Indochina. They also occur throughout the Maritime Southeast Asia to the Philippines and down to Papua New Guinea and the surrounding islands, and northeastern Australia.
They are commonly found in the edges of rainforests, vine thickets, and sometimes in cultivated lands.
Subspecies
Tagiades japetus contains twenty-four subspecies including the ones listed below with their common names and areas of distribution: