Symbrenthia brabira

Symbrenthia brabira
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus: Symbrenthia
Species:
S. brabira
Binomial name
Symbrenthia brabira
Moore, 1872

Symbrenthia brabira is a nyphaline butterfly found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Taiwan and China.[1]

Description

Like that of many tropical butterflies, the wing patterning of Symbrenthia brabira butterflies varies between wet season and dry season forms.[2]

The wings of wet-season males are fulvous-black with reddish-yellow bands on the upper-side.[3] The underside are almost uniformly bright ochreous-yellow with small tessellated markings. It has conical spots on the submargin of the hindwings which are sparsely speckled with metallic-green scales. The marginal lunules (crescent-shaped markings) are continuous and also speckled metallic green.

The wings of wet-season females have slightly paler, broader bands compared to the males, with an exception of the discoidal band which is somewhat narrower. The subapical band touches the costa, with two very small apical spots above its end. The bands on the hindwing are both narrower than in the male. The wings' undersides are identical to the male's.

The wings of dry-season males are duller fulvous-black and the bands paler than in the males' wet-season form. The bands on both wings are very broad with irregular-edges. The underside is bright ochreous-yellow with narrower and less uniform tessellated markings. The submarginal spots on the hindwings are not as conical and the centers are very sparsely metallic-speckled. The wings of dry-season females are similar to the males, but with even paler, broader markings.[2]

Males and females both have a wingspan of 45-58 mm.

Subspecies

  • Symbrenthia brabira brabira
  • Symbrenthia brabira leoparda Chou & Li, 1994 (South Yunnan)
  • Symbrenthia brabira sinica Moore, 1899 (West China)

References

  1. ^ "Symbrenthia Hübner, [1819]" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. ^ a b Bingham, C. T. (1907). Butterflies. Vol. I-II. Taylor and Francis. pp. 378–379. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  3. ^ Moore, Frederic; Swinhoe, Charles (1890). Lepidoptera indica. Retrieved 7 July 2025.