Arnetta vindhiana
Encyclopedia
Arnetta vindhiana, commonly known as the Vindhyan Bob, is a butterfly
belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is native to India
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Male. Upperside dark olive-brown ; cilia cinereous ; forewing with a small yellow semi-transparent spot at upper end of the cell, three conjoined subapical spots, two discal spots, and a small oval spot above the submedian vein. Underside dusky ochreous : forewing with the posterior area broadly black ; spots as above ; hindwing with a yellow lunule at end of the cell, a small spot above it and five discal spots.
Size : 25-32mm. UNH spots obscure.UPF spot upper edge cell may be absent. Male:with no tuft UNF.
, Nilgiri Hills, Meghamalai
, Wayanad, Coorg
, Konkan, west Khandesh, Mhow, Thana, Surat Dangs and Madhya Pradesh. Apparently being absent from the heavier jungle country between Bombay and Coorg. Presumably also found in the Vindhyan rage. T. R. D. Bell
stated that they are found in dry, bamboo-growing hilly country, but Winter-blyth found it not uncommon on the western slopes of the Nilgiris
in September and October in the very wettest, thickest jungle and it seems to be found in similar country in Coorg. Bell says that it is common in the Surat Dangs, where it is found sitting on the ground on dry leaves, blades of grass etc. It visits flowers.
Also recorded from the Nilgiris by George Francis Hampson
, who considered this, modesta and nilgiriana as a single species with vindhiana being the dry season form, nilgiriana the wet season form, and modesta, described from a single specimen obtained by Mr. Lindsay, a variant. In collections of Indian Museum and Lionel de Nicéville
.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
belonging to the family Hesperiidae. It is native to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Description
- See glossaryGlossary of Lepidopteran termsThis glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
for terms used
Male. Upperside dark olive-brown ; cilia cinereous ; forewing with a small yellow semi-transparent spot at upper end of the cell, three conjoined subapical spots, two discal spots, and a small oval spot above the submedian vein. Underside dusky ochreous : forewing with the posterior area broadly black ; spots as above ; hindwing with a yellow lunule at end of the cell, a small spot above it and five discal spots.
Size : 25-32mm. UNH spots obscure.UPF spot upper edge cell may be absent. Male:with no tuft UNF.
Distribution
This species is reported from Palni HillsPalni Hills
The Palni Hills are a mountain range in Tamil Nadu state of South India. The Palni Hills are an eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges, which run parallel to the west coast of India. The Palni Hills adjoin the high Anamalai range on the west, and extend east into the plains of Tamil Nadu,...
, Nilgiri Hills, Meghamalai
Meghamalai
Meghamalai, popularly called High Wavy Mountains, is a cool and misty mountain range situated in the Western Ghats in Theni district, Tamilnadu, South India. It is a place of natural beauty dotted with cardamom plantations and tea estates. The place is situated at an elevation of 1,500 m above sea...
, Wayanad, Coorg
Kodagu
Kodagu , also known by its anglicised former name of Coorg, is an administrative district in Karnataka, India. It occupies an area of in the Western Ghats of southwestern Karnataka. As of 2001, the population was 548,561, 13.74% of which resided in the district's urban centres, making it the least...
, Konkan, west Khandesh, Mhow, Thana, Surat Dangs and Madhya Pradesh. Apparently being absent from the heavier jungle country between Bombay and Coorg. Presumably also found in the Vindhyan rage. T. R. D. Bell
Thomas Reid Davys Bell
Thomas Reid Davys Bell , born in Bandon, Cork, was a lepidopterist and forest officer in India.Thomas was the youngest in a family of twelve. His early education was in Dresden. He tried to get into the Indian Civil Services but failed. He later wrote entrance exams to Sandhurst and Woolwich,...
stated that they are found in dry, bamboo-growing hilly country, but Winter-blyth found it not uncommon on the western slopes of the Nilgiris
Nilgiris (mountains)
The Nilgiri , often referred to as the Nilgiri Hills, are a range of mountains with at least 24 peaks above , in the westernmost part of Tamil Nadu state at the junction of Karnataka and Kerala states in Southern India...
in September and October in the very wettest, thickest jungle and it seems to be found in similar country in Coorg. Bell says that it is common in the Surat Dangs, where it is found sitting on the ground on dry leaves, blades of grass etc. It visits flowers.
Also recorded from the Nilgiris by George Francis Hampson
George Francis Hampson
Sir George Francis Hampson, 10th Baronet was a British entomologist.Hampson studied at Charterhouse School and Exeter College, Oxford. He travelled to India to become a tea-planter in the Nilgiri Hills of the Madras presidency , where he became interested in moths and butterflies...
, who considered this, modesta and nilgiriana as a single species with vindhiana being the dry season form, nilgiriana the wet season form, and modesta, described from a single specimen obtained by Mr. Lindsay, a variant. In collections of Indian Museum and Lionel de Nicéville
Lionel de Nicéville
Charles Lionel Augustus de Nicéville was a curator at the Indian Museum in Calcutta . He studied the butterflies of South Asia and wrote a three volume monograph on the butterflies of India, Pakistan, Burma and Sri Lanka.Born in a noble Huguenot family, his father was a physician. He was educated...
.