Monday, June 10, 2013

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



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


S1S2S3S1S2S3S1S2S3S1S2S3S1S2S3




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


*   *   *

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.

*     *     *     *     *

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

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