Butterflies in North Goa

[hindleygreener]

Good morning spent a couple of weeks in North Goa in Early November 2019 and am struggling with the following if anyone can help. I am not a butterfly person sorry so some may be easy

[David M]

Hi hindleygreener, I'm by no means expert on Indian butterflies but there are a couple I think I recognise.

The first looks like Common Gull, cepora nerissa whilst the penultimate one I believe is Lemon Pansy, junonia lemonias.

Hopefully the venerable Mr Padfield will check-in with the rest.

[Vince Massimo]

Hi, and welcome to UK Butterflies

I was in Goa in 2008, so will have a go at this as no one has yet replied. (Post crossed with David's).

1. Common Gull (Cepora nerissa)
2. Common Mormon males (Papilio polytes)
3. Soldier (Chocolate Pansy) (Precis iphita)
4. Common Crow (Euploea core)
5. Striped Tiger (Danaus genutia)
6. Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites)
7. Lemon Pansy (Junonia lemonias)
8. Common Mormon male (Papilio polytes)

All are common species.

Happy to be corrected by any of the our overseas experts in due course.

Vince

[hindleygreener]

Thanks for your help it is very appreciated. I have a few more I think I worked out but confirmation would be a great help

[David M]

Hello again, hg, I can offer a couple of suggestions - your first insect looks like Tamil Lacewing, cethosia nietneri and your second appears to be one of the 'Sergeants', possibly either Common Sergeant, athyma perius or maybe Staff Sergeant, athyma selenophora.

[Vince Massimo]

Hi hg, I would go with:

1. Tamil Lacewing (Cethosia nietneri) which is endemic to the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, so is quite special.
2. Common Sailer (Neptis hylas). There are several butterflies which look superficially similar in this group (the Sargeants and Sailers) but they can be differentiated by the arrangement of their spots.

Again, I hope that a proper expert can comment and correct if necessary.

Vince

[Padfield]

I'm not an expert, but for what it's worth I agree with all Vince's IDs (and therefore most of David's ).

It's great to see local specialities when in exotic locations like this. When I visited my great grandfather's school (he was headmaster) in the Nilgiri Hills it was the endemic Nilgiri clouded yellow (Colias nilagiriensis) that did it for me. I didn't see any Tamil lacewings ...

Guy

[hindleygreener]

Thank you everyone you have all been a great help, I did see many more butterflies but they never seemed to land i'm guessing with the amount of birds around they get eaten. I loved Goa and would highly recommend it

[David M]

Thank you everyone you have all been a great help, I did see many more butterflies but they never seemed to land i'm guessing with the amount of birds around they get eaten. I loved Goa and would highly recommend it

Agree, hb. I visited Goa in 2006 and it was the best holiday of my life. I felt guilty at paying so little for such luxury.

I'm sure the local butterflies have evolved strategies to defeat bird predation, like everywhere else. Not surprised they were reluctant to land - I guess 30c temperatures and non-stop sunshine would encourage our butterflies to be similarly energetic!

[hindleygreener]

Thank you everyone amazing help