Indian fritillary

Description:

This is a common butterfly in the nymphalid family. It has an orange body and distinctively marked orange wings with black spots (hyomon means “panther pattern”). The female, but not the male, has black wingtips. The underside of the wing is bright yellow and white; the body is 27-38 mm long. Nymphalids’ front legs are short and brush-like and are not used for walking. Like all butterflies, they have club-shaped antennae (see photo). The caterpillar is black with orange spots and has big tufts and black spines — any bird that eats it will choke as the spines catch in its throat. The female mimics an unpalatable species of butterfly (Anosia chyrisppus), so predators that have been sickened by eating the bad-tasting species avoid eating female Indian fritillaries, even though they might taste good. Fritillaries are strong flyers (sometimes migrating long distances), and during the breeding season, males can often be seen chasing females in an elaborate courtship dance.