Chiang Dao NP, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Family : Nymphalidae
Sub-Family : Limenitidinae
Species : Athyma nefte asita
Athyma nefte is an uncommon species distributed from Myanmar, through Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos. It is a medium sized butterfly with a wingspan of 40-60mm. The female is dimorphic, looking very different to the male and more like one of the yellow and brown striped Neptis species from the same family. Both sexes nectar on flowering shrubs and are usually found near the edge of forests situated at moderate elevations.
Eggs are laid singly on the larval foodplants which are Adenanthera pavonia (Papipionacaea) , Glochidon eriocarpum and Glochidon rubrum (Euphorbiacaea) , and several Mussaenda sp. (Rubiacaea) . The eggs hatch after 2-3 days and the caterpillars go through 5 instars before pupation. The whole cycle from egg to adult takes between 23 and 28 days.
All my insect pics are single, handheld shots of live insects in wild situations.
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