About Ariadne merione (Cramer, 1779)
Ariadne merione, commonly called the common castor, is an orange butterfly marked with brown lines. The larvae of this species feed almost exclusively on castor, Ricinus communis. It closely resembles Ariadne ariadne, known as the angled castor. This butterfly species is native to South and Southeast Asia. Its wingspan measures between 30 and 35 mm. Like other members of the Nymphalidae family, this species has small, unused front two legs, which makes it effectively four-legged. These smaller front legs are covered in long hairs, giving them a distinct brush-like appearance. Its full distribution includes all over India, from Simla to Sikkim in the Himalayas, with recorded occurrences in Rajputana, Bengal, Assam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Tenasserim, and the Malayan subregion. Specimens collected from Tenasserim are darker, and often lack the white subcostal spot on the forewing, making them similar to the southern Indian and Ceylon race of the species.
