Common Silverline Butterfly

Spindasis vulcanus

Description:

Wingspan: 26-34mm. Status: Common. Distr. India (Except Northeast and drier Northwest), Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Shrilanka

Habitat:

Flight extremely fast but never far, keeps to low bushes. Prefers open lightly wooded areas as well as gardens. Fond of flowers, bird droppings and damp patches. Besides the plains, it flies in the Himalaya as high as 2,700 m. Seen on the wing in march, May and June to October. Caterpillars attended by ants.

Notes:

Adult: HW has two tails and one lobe. UN light yellow with brilliant reddish band bordered black or brown. These bans have central silver line , hence the name. Separate spots at base of UNH, and outer basal band of spots does not extend downwards to vein 1c. An orange crowded black tornal spot on UNH. Female Larger and with no more rounded FW. UP dark with orange bands. Male suffused with blue on UP.LF: Cadaba Fruticosa (Capparaceae), Zizphys mauritianam Z rugosa (Rhamnaceae), Canthium coromandelicum (Rubiaceae), Allophylus cobbe (Sapindaceae), Clerodendrum, indicum, C. inerme (Verbenaceae) Found in Dahanu, (Asawa Fort), Maharashtra, India