''Phalanta phalantha'', the common leopard or spotted rustic, is a sun-loving butterfly of the Nymphalidae, nymphalid or brush-footed butterfly family.

Description

The common leopard is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 50–55 mm with a tawny colour and marked with black spots. The underside of the butterfly is more glossy than the upper and both the male and female are similar looking. A more prominent purple gloss on the underside is found in the dry-season form of this butterfly.

Distribution and subspecies

The butterfly is found in Subsaharan Africa and southern Asia (including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar) in a number of subspecies. *''P. p. phalantha'' *''P. p. luzonica'' Fruhstofer (Philippines) *''P. p. columbina'' (Cramer) (southern China, Hainan and possibly Taiwan) *''P. p. araca'' (Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914) (Australia) *''P. p. aethiopica'' (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903) (Madagascar, Seychelles, Aldabra, Comoro, Tropical Africa) *''P. p. granti'' (Rothschild & Jordan, 1903) (Socotra Island)

Status

It is widely distributed and abundant; from the tops of hills in Sri Lanka and southern India and up to 3000 m in the Himalayas, as well as the whole of Subsaharan Africa.

Habits

Sun loving and avoids shade. Seen in the plains, gardens, and edges of clearings. Has active and sharp flight movements. Visits flowers regularly especially ''Lantana'', ''Duranta'', ''Meyenia laxiflora'', ''Gymnosporia montana'', and thistles. Often seen mudpuddling from damp patches in the ground, either alone or in groups. A regular basker with wings spread wide open. It is commonest in dry areas and dry weather and absent from the wetter parts of India during the monsoon. It often perches on edges of clearing with wings half open and has the habit of chasing away other butterflies and guarding its territory.

Larval host plants

Food plants are species of family ''Bixaceae''. It has been recorded breeding on ''Flacourtia Flacourtia indica, indica'', ''Flacourtia montana'', ''Smilax'', ''Xylosma longifolium'', and ''Salix''. Larval host plants recorded from families Acanthaceae, Compositae, Flacourtiaceae, Primulaceae, Salicaceae, Rubiaceae, Violaceae and specific plants are ''Barleria prionitis'', ''Canthium parviflorum'', ''Coffea arabica'', ''Dovyalis caffra'', ''Dovyalis gardnerii'', ''Dovyalis hebecarpa'', ''Dovyalis macrocalyx'', ''Dovyalis rotundifolia'', ''Flacourtia indica'', ''Flacourtia inermis'', ''Flacourtia jangomas'', ''Flacourtia montana'', ''Flacourtia ramontchii'', ''Mangifera indica'', ''Maytenus buchanii'', ''Melaleuca leucadendra'', ''Petalostigma quadriloculare'', ''Populus alba'', ''Populus alba, Populus × canescens'', ''Populus deltoides'', ''Salix babylonica'', ''Salix tetrasperma'', ''Salix warburgii'', ''Scolopia chinensis'', ''Scolopia oldhami'', ''Scolopia scolopia'', ''Smilax tetragona'', ''Tridax procumbens'', ''Trimeria grandifolia'', ''Xylosma racemosa''.HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/projects/hostplants/) accessed on July 2, 2007.

Life cycle gallery

File:Common Leopard (Phalanta phalantha) mating with newly imerged butterfly in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 9382.jpg, Mating with butterfly newly emerged from a pupa in Hyderabad, India File:Phalantha p egg sec.jpg , Egg File:Phalantha p larva sec.jpg , Larva Common leopard fritillary (Phalanta phalantha aethiopica).jpg, ''P. p. aethiopica''
Queen Elizabeth National Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, Uganda File:Common leopard fritillaries (Phalanta phalantha aethiopica).jpg, puddling, Uganda

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2715874 Vagrantini Insects of Pakistan Butterflies described in 1773 Butterflies of Singapore Butterflies of Indochina Butterflies of Africa Butterflies of Asia Taxa named by Dru Drury