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The Common Crow (Euploea core) is a common butterfly found in South Asia. In India it is also sometimes referred to as the Common Indian Crow, and in Australia as the Australian Crow. It belongs to the Crows and Tigers subfamily of the Nymphalidae (Brushfooted butterflies). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 752 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (800 × 638 pixel, file size: 107 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Euploea core, Common Crow butterfly foraging on Lantana flowers. ...
Species Lantana is a genus of about 150 species of perennial flowering plants, native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa. ...
Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ...
For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ...
Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ...
Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (Probably paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera (angel insects) Dermaptera (earwigs) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (stick insects) Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Psocoptera...
The order Lepidoptera is the second most speciose order in the class Insecta and includes the butterflies, moths and skippers. ...
Diversity 633 genera 5,698 species Type Species Nymphalis polychloros (Large Tortoiseshell) Subfamilies Biblidinae Calinaginae Charaxinae Cyrestinae Danainae Heliconiinae Libytheinae Limenitidinae Morphinae Nymphalinae Satyrinae The Nymphalidae is a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies. ...
For the mythological fifty daughters of Danaus, see Danaides. ...
Species Numerous, see text Synonyms Crastia Hübner, 1816 Trepsichrois Hübner, 1816 Salpinx Hübner, 1819 Eudaemon Billberg, 1820 Terpsichrois Hübner, 1821 (lapsus) Euplaea Boisduval, 1832 (lapsus) Calliploea Butler, 1875 Macroploea Butler, 1878 Stictoploea Butler, 1878 Euplea W.F. Kirby, 1879 (lapsus) Adigama Moore, 1880 Andasena Moore, 1883...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Pieter Cramer (May 21, 1721 - September 26, 1776 or 1779) was a wealthy Dutch wool merchant and entomologist. ...
Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ...
Subfamilies Apaturinae Argynninae Biblidinae Calinaginae Charaxinae Cyrestinae Danainae Heliconiinae Libytheinae Limenitidinae Morphinae Nymphalinae Satyrinae Author: Swainson, 1827 Type species: Nymphalis polychloros (Large Tortoiseshell) Diversity: 633 genera, 5,698 species The Nymphalidae are a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies. ...
The Common Crow is the most common representative of its genus Euploea. Like the Tigers (Danaus spp), the Crows are inedible and mimicked by other Indian butterflies(see Batesian mimcry). In addition, the Indian species of the Euploea genus shows another kind of mimicry, Müllerian mimicry. Accordingly, this species has been dealt with greater detail than other members of its genus in India. Danaus, or Danaos (sleeper) was a Greek mythological character, twin brother of Aegyptus and son of Belus, a mythical king of Egypt. ...
A mimic is any species that has evolved to appear similar to another successful species in order to dupe predators into avoiding the mimic, or dupe prey into approaching the mimic. ...
A mimic is any species that has evolved to appear similar to another successful species in order to dupe predators into avoiding the mimic, or dupe prey into approaching the mimic. ...
Description
The Common Crow (Euploea core) is a glossy black butterfly with brown underside with white marks along the outer margins of the wing. The wingspan is about 8-9 cm and the body also has prominent white spots.
Upperside dark brown, broadly paler along terminal margins; Fore and hind wing with subterminal and terminal series of white spots; on fore wing the former more or less oval, curved inwards opposite apex, the latter series often incomplete, not reaching apex, the spots smaller; often there is a small costal spot, and very rarely a spot in apex of cell and one or more discal spots; on the hind wing the inner series of spots are elongate, the outer conical. Underside similar, but ground-colour more uniform; cell, costal and discal spots on both fore and hind wing nearly always present.[1]
Race godarti (=E. godarti) (Northeast India and Myanmar)
Fore wing subtriangular, tornus more rounded than in E. core. Hindwing broadly ovate. Upperside dark brown, broadly paler along the terminal margins, especially on the fore wing. Fore wing with more or less incomplete and obsolescent series of subterminal and terminal small white spots, and a powdering of violaceous-white scales at apex, varying very considerably in extent from a mere trace of violaceous between the veins to a large and very conspicuous patch occupying the whole of the apex. Hind wing with a subterminal series of oval or inwardly conical and terminal series of more rounded white spots. Underside paler brown, the white spots larger, more clearly defined. Fore wing not violaceous at apex, a spot (sometimes absent) in apex of cell, and two or three discal spots. Hindwing: a spot in apex of cell, also sometimes absent, and a discal series of five small spots beyond. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen very dark brown, and, the antennae excepted, sparsely spotted with white.[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Range It is found in Sri Lanka, India and Myanmar.
Status Very Common.
Taxonomy The Common Crow has three races: - Race vermiculata : (India) UPF spots increase in size towards the apex.
- Race core : (North India) These spots are more or less equal or reduce in size.
- Race asela : (Sri Lanka) These spots are very small and the terminal spots vanish to the apex.
Habitat It is found everywhere in India right up into the mountains till 8000 feet. Occasionally it swarms in the low, wet, jungles of South India due to the abundance of its foodplants which are spread over three orders of plants.
Habits The butterfly, being protected by its inedibility, has a leisurely flight. It is often seen flying about shrubs and bushes in search of its host plants. It visits a large variety of flowering plant species. On hot days large numbers of these butterflies can be seen mudpuddling on wet sand. This butterfly also gathers on damaged parts of plants such as Crotalaria, Heliotropium to forage for chemicals precursors to produce pheromones. Species See text Crotalaria is a genus of herbaceous plants and woody shrubs in the Family Fabaceae (Subfamily Faboideae) commonly know as rattlepods. ...
Species 250-300, see text The Heliotropes (Heliotropium) is a genus of plants in the family Boraginaceae with 250 to 300 species. ...
Along with other Danaids such as the Tigers, the Common Crow is one of the most common migrating butterfly species.[2][3] Males and females in equal proportions have been seen to migrate.[4] Danaus, or Danaos (sleeper) was a Greek mythological character, twin of Aegyptus and son of Belus, a mythic king of Egypt. ...
Protection The Common Crow is distasteful due to chemicals extracted from the latex of the food plants consumed in their caterpillar stage. Thus protected, they fly in a leisurely manner, gliding skillfully with wings held slightly above the horizontal. This indicates its protection due to inedibility to a predator. The inexperienced predator will try attacking it, but will learn soon enough to avoid this butterfly as the alkaloids in its body cause vomiting.
The butterfly has tough, leathery wings. When attacked it shams death and oozes liquid which causes any predators to release them. The butterfly thus has the ability to recover 'miraculously' after the predator thinks it has been killed. Modern leather-working tools Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. ...
Mimicry The protection mechanisms of the Common Crow, as of the other Danaids, and indeed of all unpalatable butterflies, result in predators learning this memorable aspect at first hand. Predators soon learn to associate the patterns and habits of the butterfly species with unpalatability and to avoid ingesting them in future.
This advantage of protection has led to a number of edible butterfly species, referred to as the mimic, evolving to resemble the inedible butterfly, which is referred to as the model. The resemblance is not only in butterfly markings, but also in behavioural and flight patterns. This form of mimicry where an edible species mimics an inedible species is called as Batesian mimicry. A mimic is any species that has evolved to appear similar to another successful species in order to dupe predators into avoiding the mimic, or dupe prey into approaching the mimic. ...
The mimics can resemble the models very closely. In some cases, it requires hand examination and reference to field guides to tell them apart. The Common Crow is a good example, being mimicked by the following butterflies:
- Common Mime, Chilasa clytia form dissimilis, both male and female.
- Malabar Raven, Papilio dravidarum, both male and female.
- Common Raven, Papilio castor, female.
- Great Eggfly, Hypolimnas bolina, female.
- Ceylon Palmfly, Elymnias singala male and female. (Not in India).
The genus Euploea also exhibits Müllerian mimicry. In this form of mimicry, the members of an inedible group of butterflies find it to their advantage to resemble one another so that their recognition by possible enemies is much easier. Besides this genus, the Blue Tigers (of the genus Danaus) also exhibit this form of mimicry in India. Binomial name Chilasa clytia Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Papilio clytia The Common Mime (Papilio (Chilasa) clytia) is a Swallowtail butterfly found in South and South-east Asia. ...
Binomial name Wood-Mason, 1880 Synonyms Princeps dravidarum The Malabar Raven ( Papilio dravidarum) is a species of Swallowtail butterfly found in India. ...
Binomial name Papilio castor Westwood, 1842 The Common Raven (Papilio castor) is a species of swallowtail butterfly found in South Asia. ...
Binomial name Hypolimnas bolina (Linneaus, 1758) The Great Eggfly (Hypolimnas bolina ) (also called Blue Moon Butterfly in New Zealand or Common Eggfly[1]) is a species of nymphalid butterfly. ...
A mimic is any species that has evolved to appear similar to another successful species in order to dupe predators into avoiding the mimic, or dupe prey into approaching the mimic. ...
Life cycle
 Common Crow moving to next leaf Egg Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
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Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...
| Caterpillar Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 423 pixelsFull resolution (927 × 490 pixel, file size: 337 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...
| Pupa Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 188 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...
| Adult Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...
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Eggs Eggs are laid on the underside of young leaves of the host plants. The egg is shiny white, tall and pointed, with ribbed sides. Just before hatching the eggs turn greyish with a black top.
Caterpillar Throughout its life the caterpillar stays on the underside of the leaves. The caterpillar is cylindrical, vividly coloured and smooth. It has alternate white and dark brown or black transverse bands. Just above the legs and prolegs, along the entire body is a wide orangish-red band and the head is striped black and white. The caterpillar bears four tentacle-like appendages, three towards the front and one at the back. All of them are curved backward at the tips. This article does not cite its references or sources. ...
Since the host plants contain poisonous latex, the caterillar has evolved peculiar eating habits. It first chews the midrib of the leaf, cutting of its supply of latex and then goes on to nip a few of the secondary veins of the leaf, further blocking the flow of latex. Subsequently the caterpillar feeds on the leaf but only where the leaf's natural defences have been turned off. The caterpillar is able to tolerate the plant toxins and stores it in its fatty tissue and helps make the adult distasteful to predators.
The caterpillar is uniformly cylindrical. Its body is covered with bands of black and white interspersed with thick, yellow, dorsolateral spots. The most striking characteristics are the 3 pairs of long and black tentacles. The first pair is moveable and also the longest. The tentacles are present on the 3rd, 6th and 12th segments. The head is shiny, smooth and has alternating black and white semicircular bands. The legs and prolegs are black and the prolegs have white bands at their bases. Tentacles can refer to the elongated flexible organs that are present in many invertebrates, and sometimes to the hairs of the leaves of insectivorous plants. ...
Prolegs are the fleshy, stubby little structures found on the ventral surface of the abdomen of most larval forms of insects of the Order Lepidoptera, though they can also be found on other larval insects such as sawflies and a few types of flies. ...
 Silvery pupa of Common Indian Crow Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Pupa As if to advertise its distastefulness, the pupa of this species is shiny golden in color. The wing margins are marked with broad colourless bands. The abdomen has a row of black spots on each segment. The cremaster is black. The pupa later turns black.
Larval food plants The Common Crow feeds on a large number of plants of the families Apocynaceae (Dogbanes and Oleanders), Asclepiadaceae (Milkweeds), Moraceae (Figs), Rubiaceae, Ulmaceae (Nettles) and the specific species are Aphananthe cuspidata, Asclepias curassavica, Asclepias guadeloupe, Asclepias syriaca, Calotropis gigantea, Carissa ovata, Cerbera manghas, Cryptolepis pauciflora, Cryptolepis sinensis, Cryptostegia madagascariensis, Cynanchum carnosum, Ficus benghalensis, Ficus benjamina, Ficus eugenioides, Ficus hederacea, Ficus microcarpa, Ficus muelleri, Ficus obliqua, Ficus pandurata, Ficus platypoda, Ficus pyriformis, Ficus racemosa, Ficus religiosa, Ficus rubiginosa, Ficus variolosa, Gomphocarpus fruticosus, Gymnanthera oblonga, Hemidesmus indicus, Holarrhena pubescens, Hoya australis, Ichnocarpus frutescens, eichardtia australis, Marsdenia leichhardtiana, Marsdenia rostrata, Marsdenia suaveolens, Nerium indicum, Nerium oleander, Parsonsia alboflavescens, Parsonsia straminea, Plumeria acuminata, Sarcostemma australe, Secamone elliptica, Streblus asper, Streblus asper, Toxocarpus wightianus, Trachelospermum bowringii and Tylophora indica [5] Genera See Taxonomy and Genera. ...
Genera See under Apocynaceae The Asclepiadaceae is a former plant family, now included in the dogbane family Apocynaceae, according to the AGP II. The name Asclepiadaceae however still retains the epithet nom. ...
Genera Antiaris Artocarpus - Breadfruit, Jackfruit Brosimum Broussonetia - Paper Mulberry Castilloa Cecropia Chlorophora Dorstenia Ficus - Fig, Banyan Maclura - Osage-orange Morus - Mulberry Musanga Pseudolmedia Streblus Treculia The flowering plant family Moraceae (Mulberry family) comprises some 40 genera and over 1000 species of plants widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, less common...
Type Genus Rubia L. Genera See text For a full list, see: List of Rubiaceae genera Egyptian Starcluster Pentas lanceolata White luculia gratissima Rubiaceae Juss. ...
Genera Celtis - Hackberries Planera - Water-elm Ulmus - Elms Zelkova - Zelkovas Ulmaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes elms, hackberries and zelkovas. ...
Binomial name Asclepias curassavica L. Mexican Butterfly Weed, Blood-flower or Scarlet Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is a species of milkweed. ...
Binomial name Asclepias syriaca L. Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a species of milkweed, native to most of North America east of the Rockies, with the exception of the drier parts of the Prairies. ...
Binomial name Calotropis gigantea (Crown flower) is a species of Calotropis, native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and China. ...
Binomial name An Australian native plant, grows as a multi-stemmed shrub 0. ...
Binomial name Cerbera manghas (Sea Mango) is a small evergreen coastal tree growing up 12 m tall. ...
This article is about the tree. ...
Binomial name Ficus benjamina L. The Weeping Fig or Benjamins Fig (Ficus benjamina) is a species of fig tree, native to south and southeast Asia south to northern Australia. ...
This article is about the tree. ...
Binomial name Ficus religiosa Linnaeus The Bodhi or Bo or Peepul tree (Ficus religiosa), is a species of fig (Family Moraceae) and a sacred tree for Buddhists. ...
Binomial name Ficus rubiginosa Desf. ...
Binomial name Synonyms Periploca indica Indian Sarsaparilla (Hemidesmus indicus) is a species of plant that is found in South Asia. ...
Binomial name R.Br. ...
Binomial name Nerium oleander L. Oleander or bay rose, Nerium oleander L. is a shrub or small tree of the dogbane family Apocynaceae. ...
It usually has some preference for certain species in a given area. The more commonly used plants are Ficus racemosa, Nerium oleander, Nerium odorum and Cryptolepis buchananii. Ficus pumila a cultivated garden plant which climbs on walls has also been noted.[6] Binomial name Nerium oleander L. Oleander or bay rose, Nerium oleander L. is a shrub or small tree of the dogbane family Apocynaceae. ...
Binomial name Ficus pumila L. Dwarf Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) is a vine that is native to East Asia. ...
References - ^ a b Bingham, C. T. (1905) Fauna of British India. Butterflies. Volume 1
- ^ Aitken, E. H. 1898. Migration of Euploea core. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 12:229-230
- ^ Reuben, D. E. 1961. Migrational flights of the Common India Crow butterfly Euploea core (Cramer). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 57:673-679
- ^ Kunte, K. 2005. Species composition, sex-ratios and movement patterns in Danaine butterfly migrations in southern India. Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 102(3):280-286
- ^ HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/projects/hostplants/) accessed on September 12, 2007.
- ^ Aravind, N. A. (2005) Ficus pumila L: A new host plant of common crow (Euploea core Cramer, Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 102(1):129
Further reading - Evans, W.H. (1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies. (2nd Ed), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
- Gaonkar, Harish (1996) Butterflies of the Western Ghats, India (including Sri Lanka) - A Biodiversity Assessment of a threatened mountain system. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society.
- Gay,Thomas; Kehimkar,Isaac & Punetha,J.C.(1992) Common Butterflies of India. WWF-India and Oxford University Press, Mumbai, India.
- Kunte,Krushnamegh (2005) Butterflies of Peninsular India. Universities Press.
- Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.
See also A mimic is any species that has evolved to appear similar to another successful species in order to dupe predators into avoiding the mimic, or dupe prey into approaching the mimic. ...
Subfamilies Apaturinae Argynninae Biblidinae Calinaginae Charaxinae Cyrestinae Danainae Heliconiinae Libytheinae Limenitidinae Morphinae Nymphalinae Satyrinae Author: Swainson, 1827 Type species: Nymphalis polychloros (Large Tortoiseshell) Diversity: 633 genera, 5,698 species The Nymphalidae are a family of about 5,000 species of butterflies. ...
// Butterflies of India Approximately 1439 species of butterfly have been described from India. ...
Clipper Parthenos sylvia This is a list of the butterflies of India belonging to the family Nymphalidae and an index to the species articles. ...
External links - Hosts database NHM UK
- ASEAN biodiversity database
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