Page 280 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Nymphalidae
DISTRIBUTION The Himalayas, India, Myanmar, southwestern China (Yunnan),
and mainland Southeast Asia
HABITAT Moist, shaded deciduous forests
HOST PLANTS Wild Guava (Careya arborea) and Melastoma malabathricum

NOTE Caterpillar that has a attened, feathered skirt of spines
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but common

ADULT WINGSPAN
2 ⁄ –3 in (65–75 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
1 ⁄ in (40 mm)
TANAECIA LEPIDEA
GREY COUNT
278
(BUTLER, 1868)

Grey Count caterpillars hatch from eggs resembling tiny, hairy
half golf balls that are laid singly on host plant leaves. By the
mid-instar stages, the caterpillar starts to develop its skirt of
exible spines, employing them to mute its body outline and

blend into the leaf surface. In its usual resting posture on the
topside of leaves aligned with the midrib, the caterpillar is
practically invisible. Pupation occurs on the host plant or on
adjoining vegetation, in which case the caterpillar uses a silk line
to lower itself to the ground in search of secluded locations. The
broad, angular chrysalis is ⁄ in (18 mm) long and bright green
with highlights of yellow and orange.

The Grey Count butter y is often spotted on the forest oor or

in clearings, e ortlessly gliding short distances between patches

of sunlight. When fresh, the silvery, moon-shaped crescent on
its wing margins is eye-catching. The immature life history
and behavior of Tanaecia lepidea, while similar to other genus
members, has not been documented in detail, and its full range
of host plants is not known.

The Grey Count caterpillar looks substantially
bigger than it really is. Each segment has a pair
of long, soft, heavily feathered lateral spines
held at against the leaf surface, completely
obscuring the caterpillar’s body outline. At the
extremities of the spines, the feathering darkens
and has white tips. Dorsally, each body segment
also bears a hexagonal spot with a blue center.
Actual size