Page 197 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Nymphalidae
DISTRIBUTION The Himalayas, India, southern China, Chinese Taipei,
and most of Southeast Asia
HABITAT Open forests and surrounding secondary growth
HOST PLANTS Glochidion spp. and Phyllanthus spp. (both Phyllanthaceae);
also Wendlandia spp. (Rubiaceae)
NOTE Caterpillar that uses perches and frass barriers to avoid predators
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but common in its main range

ADULT WINGSPAN
2⅛–2 ⁄ in (55–65 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH

1⅜–1 ⁄ in (35–40 mm)

ATHYMA PERIUS
COMMON SERGEANT 195
(LINNAEUS, 1758)

Early larval stages of the Common Sergeant isolate themselves
from potential threats by constructing perches, where they rest
between meals. By consuming the leaf lamina either side of
the midrib of the leaf tip and building a barrier of frass woven
together with silk at its entrance, the caterpillar can deter hungry
ants and other predators. Although the maturing caterpillar
is adorned with multiple branched spines, they are purely
ornamental and non-stinging. When it does feel threatened, Actual size
the caterpillar adopts a defensive posture, arching the thorax

and pressing the head at against the leaf, presenting its spines
as a physical barrier.
The Common Sergeant caterpillar is green with
The adult Common Sergeant is a low-flying, territorial multiple rows of branched “antlers” running the
length of its body. The trunks of these spines are
butter y that patrols paths and clearing edges, often basking red, the branches black and tipped with white

on the ground or on low vegetation. Typical of the sergeants, points. The base of each spine is a deep purple.
The head capsule is bordered with spines, and
the topside is black with white dots and dashes; the underside is a there are multiple contrasting conical nodules
on the surface, resembling a face.
light brown with white spots highlighted with black. The species
occurs year-round within its main range.