Description : The Jacintha Eggfly is a subspecies of the Great Eggfly, and shares the same species name of bolina under the binomial naming system. It is, however, interesting to note that the subspecies jacintha is the more commonly bred butterfly in commercial Butterfly Parks in the region. Both share the same local host plant - Common Asystasia (Asystasia gangetica), which is an abundant weed which sprouts up wherever there is a patch of untended green. The males of Jacintha Eggfly appear very similar to the Great Eggfly on the uppersides, featuring four blue-edged white patches on the fore and hindwings. The females however, are distinctly different where the submarginal white markings on the hindwings of the female are more pronounced and there are splashes of iridescent blue spots on an otherwise dark blue forewings. The most distinguishing characteristic to separate the two subspecies is the wider and thicker submarginal band on the hindwings in the Jacintha Eggfly. In the Great Eggfly, the markings are usually smaller and distinctly V-shaped and separate. However, due to the variability and many forms of both subspecies, this characteristic should be validated further with breeding experiments. Habitat & habits : This species is generally found in most places in Singapore, occasionally even in the busiest city centre. The males are jealously territorial, and often return to a favourite perch repeatedly even after being disturbed. Whenever another butterfly flies by, the male will take off from its perch and "attack" the intruder. This behaviour is observed for both the Jacintha and Great Eggflies. Even when a small object is thrown near to its perch, the butterfly is likely to try to chase it away. Other Observations : Males are more often seen than the females, unlike the Great Eggfly, where the females are sometimes as common as the males. Early
Stages : The caterpillar
is dark brown, with bright orange spikes and an orange head with two black
"horns". The caterpillars feed voraciously, and can defoliate the host
plant in a few days. The pupa is predominantly brown, with spikes and
resembles the pupae of related species like the Junonia. The female
typically lays her eggs on the undersurface of the host plant and often more
than one egg is laid at a time. |
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