Sunday 26 July 2015

37. Vindula erota erota (The Common Cruiser)

Number: 37
Family: Nymphaliidae
Sub-Family: Heliconiinae
Species: Vindula erota erota (Fabricius, 1793)
Common name(s): The Common Cruiser
Photography location: Cuc Phuong N.P. (Ninh Binh Prov.), Hanoi City

The genus Vindula is represented in Vietnam by 2 species – erota and dejone (Monastyrskii & Devyatkin, 2016). The former is recorded throughout the country, the latter from central and south regions only.

The gorgeously coloured Vindula erota is one of the most familiar species in the Oriental region, but it is only the male which has the dazzling orange wings - like all members of the genus Vindula this species is sexually dimorphic.

A mud-puddling male Vindula erota, showing its bright orange upperwings (Cuc Phuong, July 2014)

Another male specimen, from Cuc Phuong also

Female Vindula erota, dry season form, nectaring on Lantana flowers in a Hanoi's park on April 26, 2013 (certainly a migrant/vagrant)

The females tend to keep more to the canopy of woodland and are much less often encountered than the males

Congregation of puddling butterflies in Cuc Phuong, with Vidula erota and 3 species of Cyrestis (C. themire, C. thyodamas and C. cocles)


 Vindula erota with Cyrestis cocles

Vindula erota (left) with Vagrans egista and Cirrochroa tyche

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