Parantica aglea, commonly known as the glassy tiger, is a butterfly found in the Indomalayan realm. The species is a member of the Danainae subfamily of the Nymphalidae family.[1] [2]
Two subspecies are recognized, but neither form is consistent in markings or habitat. In the British Museum's collection, there are specimens of true Parantica aglea aglea from Myanmar, and others, inseparable from typical Parantica aglea melanoides, from Mysore.
Ground color is fuliginous black with subhyaline bluish-white streaks and spots. In the forewing, vein 11 is anastomosed with vein 12.Interspace 1 of the upperside forewing has two comparatively long, broad streaks united at the base, which truncate exteriorly; cell with a very broad, somewhat clavate streak traversed by two fine black lines. Interspaces 2 and 3 display basal spots, an irregular discal series of three spots and two elongate streaks, and a subterminal series of spots, the two series curved inwards opposite the apex of the wing, the latter continued along the apical half of the costa; and finally a terminal row in pairs in the interspaces of much smaller spots.
Hindwing: interspaces la, lb with broad long streaks from base; interspace 1 and cell with two streaks united at base in each, the pair in the cell with a short streak obliquely between their apices, an outwardly radiating series of broad, elongate, inwardly pointed spots in interspaces 2–8, followed by somewhat irregular rows of subterminal and terminal spots. Underside similar, the markings and spots sometimes a little ill-defined and blurred.
Antennae black; head and thorax black spotted with white; abdomen blackish brown, ochraceous beneath.Male secondary sex-mark in form 2.
Northern and eastern form. Differs as follows: Wings on the whole longer and narrower; hyaline markings, especially in interspace 1 of forewing and in cells of both forewing and hindwing, very much broader. In many specimens the black ground colour in these spaces is reduced to a mere slender black line enclosed in the subhyaline marking. On the underside the streaks are often much blurred and diffuse.
Wingspan 70–100 mm.
Subspecies Parantica aglea aglea is found in Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats north to Pune and the Niligiris.
Parantica aglea melanoides is distributed the Himalayas from Kashmir to Nepal, in Sylhet and Chittagong in Bangladesh, and in Assam, Myanmar, and Tenasserim.
The dogbanes Vincetoxicum bracteatum and Vincetoxicum dalzellii both serve as food plants for the catterpillers.
White pearl-shaped eggs are laid on the undersides of leaves. They hatch after about three days.
Dark claret brown, two round chrome-yellow spots on each segment, with scattered smaller bluish-white spots between, clustering into and forming a conspicuous line along the sides; legs and ventral surface purplish black, the tentacula, placed as usual on the 3rd and 12th segments, claret brown.
The plants that host Parantica aglea larva include, Calotropis gigantea, Ceropegia bulbosa, Ceropegia lawii, Cryptolepis dubia, Vincetoxicum indicum, and Vincetoxicum flexuosum.[3]
The pupae of Parantica aglea are green and spotted with silver, black, and gold; their shape is very tight behind the thorax.
The species is present in the Western Ghats mountains, in north-east India, Sri Lanka and the Malay peninsula.