List of butterflies of India (Riodinidae)

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The family Riodinidae or Metalmarks are a family of small Old and New world butterflies. The common name refers to the bright, metallic spots marking the wings of many of its members.

In India they are better referred to as the family of Punches and Judies. Only 16 of the 1000 species are found in India.

The Plum Judy (Abisara echerius), a species of Riodinidae found in South Asia,is known for its charming habit of dancing along forest branches.

1 Distinguishing features
2 Classification
3 List of species
4 Life cycle
5 Food plants
6 References
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Distinguishing features

Some consider this family as a subfamily of the Lycaenidae. Like the lycaenids, the males of this family have reduced forelegs while the females have full-sized, fully functional forelegs.
In addition to the traits listed above, the butterflies are generally characterized by
- the foreleg of most males, in addition to being reduced, has a uniquely shaped first segment (the coxa) which extends beyond its joint with the second segment, rather than meeting it flush;
- the hindwing exhibits unique venation; and
- most species perch on the undersides of leaves with the wings held open and completely flat.

[edit] Classification

The family Riodinidae has two subfamilies of which only one is found in India. These subfamilies are

Euselasiinae (2 genera. Does not occur in India.)
Riodininae (36 genera.)

[edit] List of species

This list of the Riodinid butterflies of India acts as an index to the species articles and forms part of the full list of butterflies of India.

The Punchinello Zemeros flegyas.

[edit] Genus Zemeros, The Punchinello

Punchinello, Zemeros flegyas (Cramer, 1780)

[edit] Genus Dodona, The Punches

Common Punch, Dodona durga (Kollar & Redtenbacher, 1844)
Lesser Punch, Dodona dipoea (Hewitson, 1865)
Punch, Dodona eugenes (Bates, 1867)
Orange Punch, Dodona egeon (Westwood, 1851)
Mixed Punch, Dodona ouida (Hewitson, 1865)
Striped Punch, Dodona adonira, (Hewitson, 1865)
White Punch, Dodona henrici (Holland, 1887)

The Tailed Judy Abisara neophron.

[edit] Genus Abisara, The Judies

Dark Judy, Abisara fylla (Westwood, 1851)
Tailed Judy, Abisara neophron (Hewitson, 1860)
Spot Judy, Abisara chela (Niceville,1886)
Malay Tailed Judy, Abisara savitri (Felder, 1860)
Plum Judy, Abisara echerius (Moore, 1901)
Straight Plum Judy, Abisara kausambi (Felder, 1860)

[edit] Genus Taxila, The Harlequin

Harlequin, Taxila haquinus (Fabricius, 1793)

[edit] Genus Stiboges, The Columbine

Columbine, Stiboges nymphidia (Butler, 1876)

[edit] Life cycle

Eggs - Eggs vary in shape but often appear round and flattened.
Larva - The caterpillars are usually hairy, plump, and are the common overwintering stage.
Pupa - Pupa are hairy and attached with silk to either the host plant or to ground debris or leaf litter.There is no cocoon.

[edit] Food plants

Species of family Myrsinaceae, grasses and hill bamboos.

[edit] References

Evans, W.H. (1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies. (2nd Ed), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
Beccaloni, G. W., Scoble, M. J., Robinson, G. S. & Pitkin, B. (Editors). 2003. The Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex). World Wide Web electronic publication. [1] [accessed 19 July 2006]
Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.