Chliaria othona explained

Chliaria othona, the orchid tit, is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in Asia.[1] [2] [3]

The orchid tit is one of the rare butterflies belonging to the family Lycaenidae (Kehimkar, 2008). This butterfly is fairly common in northern India, but was reported to be very rare in southern India. In India, Chliaria othona is distributed in the Western Ghats, Uttaranchal to Arunachal Pradesh, the northeast, West Bengal and the Andaman Islands. It was also reported from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The species prefers wet forests of up to 1524 meters altitude from the mean sea level and occasionally visits damp patches for mud-puddling.[4] The caterpillars of orchid tit feed on the flower buds and flowers of orchids,[5] [6] hence the name.

Subspecies

The subspecies of Chliaria othona are-[3]

Distribution

The orchid tit is found in Bangladesh,[7] India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, northern Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Pulau Tioman and possibly Taiwan.

In India the butterfly is found in the Western Ghats, the Himalayas from Garhwal to Assam, Bengal and onto Myanmar.

In Sikkim, the orchid tit is found up to an altitude of 5000feet.

Status

The species is considered rare in southern India, but not rare in the north.[8]

Habits

The orchid tit is to be found in dense, rainy jungles. It is rarely seen except around its food plants - the flower buds of epiphytic orchids. It flies weakly and settles on flowers, leaves. It visits damp patches.[8]

Life cycle

Caterpillar - green onisciform (woodlouse-shaped) larvae with red dorsal band and three red rippled lines on each side. The caterpillar's head is concealed and its body is covered with minute bristles. Distinct short protuberances extend from the anal segment. It feeds on the flowers of the orchid.[9]

Pupa - smooth and greenish grey, resembles those of other Lycaenidae species. It has a few white markings, with a distinctly wavy pattern on the wing covers. It is found fastened along the stem of the orchids.[9]

Larval food plants - The orchid tit's larval host plants are from the family Orchidaceae from genera Arundina, Dendrobium, Papilionanthe, Phaius, Phalaenopsis, Spathoglottis and the specific species are Papilionanthe subulata and Spathoglottis plicata [10]

See also

References

. Evans . W.H. . William Harry Evans . The Identification of Indian Butterflies . 2nd . Mumbai, India . . 1932.

. Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth . Butterflies of the Indian Region . 1957 . Bombay, India . . 978-8170192329.

Notes and References

  1. Book: A Synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India. R.K.. Varshney. Smetacek. Peter. Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal & Indinov Publishing, New Delhi. 2015. 978-81-929826-4-9. New Delhi. 119. 10.13140/RG.2.1.3966.2164.
  2. Web site: Hypolycaena othona Hewitson, 1865 – Orchid Tit. 26 August 2017.
  3. Web site: Savela . Markku . Chliaria othona (Hewitson, 1865) . Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms . July 1, 2018.
  4. Book: Mathew, George. A Handbook on the Butterflies of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. KFRI Research Report. 2011. Thrissur.
  5. Book: Kehimkar, Issac. The Book of Indian Butterflies. Bombay Natural History Society. 2008. 9780195696202. Bombay.
  6. Arjun. C.P. . etal . 2013. Occurrence of the Oriental Orchid Tit Butterfly (Chliaria othona Hewitson) in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala . Malabar Trogon. 13 . 1–3. 31. Researchgate.
  7. News: bn:অপ্সরীর খোঁজে . http://www.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/article/787585/অপ্সরীর-খোঁজে . Prothom Alo . 3 March 2016 . bn . https://web.archive.org/web/20160414192320/http://www.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/article/787585/%E0%A6%85%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%80%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%96%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%81%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%87 . 14 April 2016.
  8. Book: Wynter-Blyth, Mark Alexander . Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth

    . Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth . Butterflies of the Indian Region . 1957 . Bombay, India . . 978-8170192329 . 353.

  9. Book: Haribal, Meena . The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and Their Natural History . Gangtok, Sikkim, India . Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation . 1992 . 107.
  10. HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/projects/hostplants/) accessed on September 12, 2007.

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