Butterflies – Blue Clipper – Parthenos sylvia lilacinus

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Ron

Butterflies – Blue Clipper – Parthenos sylvia lilacinus

DSC_8949-Butterfly

There are two common colour variations of the Clipper butterflies normally on display in Butterfly Exhibitions. The above specimen which was photographed at the Carleton University “Live” Butterfly exhibit in the Fall of 2010 is the blue variation (P. s. lilacinus).

The tiger-like striping of the abdomen is the primary identification feature of the species with the brown subspecies (P. S. philippensis) being the more common variety. The blue subspecies ( P. s. lilacinus) has a blue background rather than black background.

The range of the Clippers includes much of south and south-east Asia. They fly quickly in a stiff-winged fashion and are about 8-9 cm in size with females being somewhat larger than the males.

 

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About Ron

Ron has long had an interest in photography and traveling and, in recent years, has had more time to devote to both activities. Long a Pentax user, Ron switched to Nikon gear when he went digital. The advent of the digital SLR camera, and the ease of the internet blogging process, has provided a venue for sharing his photography and travel experience at the local, national and international level. More about Ron
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