Butterfly Taxon Search
Chilades pandava
Notes (optional)
Eggs and caterpillar found on LHP Saraca asoca. The eggs are laid on young pink shoots of the tree and the caterpillars develop pinkish coloration to hide perfectly inside leaves. Here they can also be seen tended by ants.
Ant species: Destroyer Ant (Trichomyrmex destructor)
Appears like Common Hedge Blue. Are you sure it is Chilades pandava?
Last year I raised these caterpillars and even raising this one as well, it has pupated yesterday.
Here is an account of my last year's observations..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3_sH9enr8o
Additionally, I have not seen Hedge blue caterpillars being tended by ants here, while Plains cupid are commonly seen associated with ants (Chaudhary and Kumar, Bionotes, 2021), also this same ant species association can be seen in images BOI-gd715 captured by Rajesh P. Mahajan from Gujrat in 2021.
Also Hedge blues commonly use Peltophorum pterocarpum – Copperpod tree as a host plant in this garden, while Plains cupid use Saraca asoca - Ashoka.
I will submit the eclosed butterfly images by this weekend, so this can be kept on hold till the ID is confirmed with adult, Thank you!
Update: Adult butterfly emerged on 5th March 2023
Observation uploaded: BOI 219197 created:Mon, 03/06/2023 - 05:28
Ant species: Destroyer Ant (Trichomyrmex destructor)
Appears like Common Hedge Blue. Are you sure it is Chilades pandava?
Last year I raised these caterpillars and even raising this one as well, it has pupated yesterday.
Here is an account of my last year's observations..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3_sH9enr8o
Additionally, I have not seen Hedge blue caterpillars being tended by ants here, while Plains cupid are commonly seen associated with ants (Chaudhary and Kumar, Bionotes, 2021), also this same ant species association can be seen in images BOI-gd715 captured by Rajesh P. Mahajan from Gujrat in 2021.
Also Hedge blues commonly use Peltophorum pterocarpum – Copperpod tree as a host plant in this garden, while Plains cupid use Saraca asoca - Ashoka.
I will submit the eclosed butterfly images by this weekend, so this can be kept on hold till the ID is confirmed with adult, Thank you!
Update: Adult butterfly emerged on 5th March 2023
Observation uploaded: BOI 219197 created:Mon, 03/06/2023 - 05:28