The Common Castor, Ariadne merione ginosa (Fruhstorfer)

This is principally a forest insect and can often be seen gliding and sunning itself along the open spaces of a  forested path. There are a few closely ressembling species cohabiting the same habitats and can often be seen in the same spots. Clue to differentiate between A. merinosa and A. isaeus is the white apical spot in A. merinosa.

Habitat indicator

RSP	WV	PG	VF	FTR	SC	LWDF	LWPF	LMEF	UMN	MN
						x	x	x

Frequency observation chart: (S marks the usual occurences, H marks an unusually high occurence, F for first record)

2013
Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
S1	S1S3

2013		2014
Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
		S1S2S3	S1S2S3	S1S2S3	S1S2S3	S1S2S3

2014

2015

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mac

Apr

May

June

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

S1

S1

S1

S3

2016
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
					S1S2	S1S2					S3

2017
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

2018
Jan	Feb	Mac	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec

A. merione ginosa Above 2 photos from 23 March @ 11:03.

Above 3 photos of A. merione 19 Jan 2014 @ 11:17


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Victim of a road accident: this one was found injured along an open trail frequented by motorbikes -05 jan 2014 @ 13:38

Below is the much commoner Ariadne ariadne ariadne (L.), visibly different from A. merione and A. isaeus by its markings which are less wavy and less pronounced. They inhabit the same vicinity along the jungle path and sometimes can be found together.

02 June 2013 @ 12:28.

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The food plant is a creeper found commonly on the forest's edge at mid elevation.

3rd instar larva found feeding on the creeper - 17 Dec 2016

4th instar - tha caterpillar grows rapidly and molted into the next instar within a day of capture

The final instar changes to brown colour from green and it started to spin silk on the wall of the container to pupate - 21 Dec 2016

The pupa remains green in colour till a day before eclosion where it darkens. The pupa is suspended from a cremaster onto the support using silk.

The newly eclosed specimen: 28 Dec 2016 @ 8:00