Parthenos sylvia
Parthenos sylvia, the clipper, is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in south and southeast Asia, mostly in forested areas. The clipper is a fast-flying butterfly and has a habit of flying with its wings flapping stiffly between the horizontal position and a few degrees below the horizontal. It may glide between spurts of flapping.
Description
The various forms or subspecies are closely aligned and greatly resemble one another.
Range
The species lives in the Western Ghats, Bangladesh, Assam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia.
Larva. Cylindrical; head and anal segment with short simple spines; segments three to 12 with longer branched spines, reddish brown, those on three and four comparatively very long. Pale green, with yellowish-white lateral stripes one on each side.
Pupa. "brown, boat-shaped."
Subspecies
Listed alphabetically:P. s. admiralia Rothschild, 1915P. s. apicalis Moore, 1878P. s. aruana Moore, P. s. bandana FruhstorferP. s. bellimontis Fruhstorfer, 1899P. s. borneensis Staudinger, 1889P. s. brunnea Staudinger, 1888P. s. couppei Ribbe, 1898P. s. cyaneus Moore, 1877P. s. ellina Fruhstorfer, 1899P. s. gambrisius P. s. guineensis Fruhstorfer, 1899P. s. joloensis Fruhstorfer, 1899P. s. lilacinus Butler, 1879 – blue clipperP. s. nadiae P. s. nodrica P. s. numita FruhstorferP. s. obiana Fruhstorfer, 1904P. s. pherekrates Fruhstorfer, 1904P. s. pherekides Fruhstorfer, 1904P. s. philippinensis Fruhstorfer, 1899 – brown clipperP. s. roepstorfii Moore, P. s. salentia P. s. silvicola Fruhstorfer, 1897P. s. sulana Fruhstorfer, 1899P. s. sumatrensis Fruhstorfer, 1899P. s. sylla P. s. theriotes FruhstorferP. s. thesaurinus Grose-Smith, 1897P. s. thesaurus Mathew, 1887P. s. tualensis Fruhstorfer, 1899P. s. ugiensis FruhstorferP. s. virens Moore, 1877