Page 274 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Nymphalidae
DISTRIBUTION Nepal, northern India, central and southern China, Japan,
Chinese Taipei, and mainland Southeast Asia
HABITAT Elevated evergreen forests
HOST PLANTS Rhamnella franguloides, Celtis boninensis, and Albizia spp.
NOTE “Dragonhead” caterpillar that has an impressive set of horns
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but not uncommon, although some subspecies are
geographically isolated

ADULT WINGSPAN
3½–4⅝ in (90–120 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
2⅜ in (60 mm)
POLYURA EUDAMIPPUS
GREAT NAWAB
272
(DOUBLEDAY, 1843)

By the time the Great Nawab caterpillar has devoured its
own eggshell at hatching, its full set of horns has inflated
and hardened. This is a characteristic of the Charaxinae
“dragonhead” caterpillars not shared by related subfamilies
of horned larvae, which develop horns only by the mid-instar
stages. The caterpillars build a silk pad on a leaf tip, expanding
on this “base camp” for their entire cycle and wandering away
at night to feed on adjoining foliage. During the day, they make
no attempt to conceal themselves but remain stationary and
exposed, often with the anterior half of the body raised. Pupation
The Great Nawab caterpillar has a partially occurs on twigs (rather than the leaves) of adjacent non-host
attened, green body, widest around the fth plants. The chrysalis is glossy green, round, and smooth.
segment and tapering to a attened, rectangular
anal plate. The body is covered with lightly
colored blunt points, densest and largest
laterally, giving the appearance of a fringe. The The name “Nawab” is an honorary title once bestowed on
head capsule bears two pairs of lengthy, serrated, regional rulers or o cials in South Asia. The Great Nawab is

and nodular horns, between which is a small,

beak-like pair of conical horns. Body markings a large, powerful canopy ier but can be observed closely (and
are variable and can include a crescent-shaped
saddle, or two saddles, on the backline. often very stubbornly) on the ground, mud-puddling or feeding
from animal feces. There are numerous subspecies, which vary
quite dramatically in appearance at both larval and adult stages.

Actual size