Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka

T
LC
Monkey Puzzle Rathinda amor
Common Silverline Spindasis vulcanus
S
LC
Lycaenidae
Male
The central tail on its hind wing is longer than the two tails beside. The female is
larger and has a rounded forewing apex. The colour on the upper surface varies from
dull greyish brown to reddish brown. The white patch on the forewing varies in size,
typically being larger in females and dry season individuals. The red patches near the
tails sometimes extend towards the apex along the outer margin. Occasionally, black
spots are present in between these patches and tails. The colour and the pattern on
the underside vary. The hind wing and basal parts of the forewing of the female are
entirely white in colour, with various shades and streaks of brown and yellow. Golden
brown shades are prominent in males, with very little white. The brightness of the
shiny light blue sub-marginal scales diminishes with age. Its tails are tipped in white.
The Monkey Puzzle flies from shrub level to small tree level in a slow, bouncing flight.
They like to feed on the sap at the pedicels of fallen Ixora coccinea (r;a u,a$r;U,d).
Both sexes live around LFPs. Common in home gardens and other sparsely wooded
areas, it can also be seen in dry forests where its LFPs are common in the sub-canopy.
It has two hairy tails on the hind wing. The upper side of the male is dark chocolate
brown, often without any shiny blue scales. Rarely, blue scales can be seen on the
hind wing, but the colour is different to that seen among other Silverlines. The female
is similar but is of a duller hue with some lead-coloured scales. The orange coloured
markings on the centre of the forewing vary in both sexes and the patch at the tails
extend along the outer margin in some females. The underside varies in pattern
irrespective of the sex. They have red bands on a pale yellow background. There are
silver patches embossed within these bands. The outer margin of the forewing is
always red. The second red band from the outer margin is usually not divided by the
black outline apparent on the fore wing. Bands 2 and 3 on the hind wing have a larger
gap leaving a greater yellow area. Its abdomen is barred in red or black.
It is a very fast flier, and is seen to dart among herbs and scrubs. It tolerates a lot of
disturbances when feeding on nectar of certain plants like Vernonia zeylanica (mqmq,).
It is common in dry zone scrublands, especially towards the coast.
Lycaenidae
LFPs: Flowers of Ixora coccinea (r;a u,a$r;U,d) and leaves of Gomphia serrata (fnda
lEr) and Dimorphocalyx glabellus (je,sjekak).
LFPs: Cardiospermum halicacabum (fmfk, je,a), Senna auriculata (rKjrd). It has a
great affinity with ants.
98 Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka
Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka 99