The Malay Lacewing is a very pretty butterfly. It is bright orange-red above with broad black borders. The wings are scalloped, giving the hindwings an almost sawtooth-like appearance. The undersides are orange-red with white fasciae and are spotted with black forming an intricate pattern which probably gives the origin of its name "Lacewing".
The butterfly is quite common in the nature reserves and can be found fluttering around flowering bushes like Prickly Lantana (Lantana camara) and the Snakeweed (Stachytarpheta indica) as shown in the photos.
The wine red caterpillar has long spines and is known to feed on Passion Fruit vine (Adenia spp.)
Cethosia hypsea, the Malay lacewing, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in from Burma to Indonesia and the Philippines.
The wingspan is about 80 mm.Adults are bright orange red above with broad black borders, warning predators of their toxicity. The underside is orange red with white fasciae and is spotted with black. The wings are scalloped.
The larvae feed on Adenia species. They are wine red and have long spines. They are also poisonous.
The forewings are black with a white subapical band beyond the cell; the basal area is orange-red for the male (with the red confined to the base of the wings) and black for the female (with a yellowish-white patch in mid space 1b). The hindwing is entirely orange-red (paler in the female) except for the scalloped black distal border. Underneath, the wings are orange-red with white fasciae and adorned with black spots. The forewing cell has several black-edged, pale blue transverse stripes. The wing borders are dark coloured and deeply indented with lace-like pattern of white markings. One distinguishing feature to separate Malay Lacewing from other Cethosia species is the absence of a white submarginal band on the hindwing underside.
The Malay Lacewing is essentially a forest dweller and its local occurrence is confined within the sanctuary of the nature reserves in the catchment areas. It is not uncommon in the reserves, and adults can be spotted visiting flowers of flowering plants such as Leea indica in forest clearings or alongside forest trails. At times, females can also be seen checking out leaves of various plants in search of an ovipositing site.
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