Hymenocallis littoralis (Spider lily) - Sikkim Flora

  Hymenocallis  littoralis (Spider lily)

Place : 32 Number, East Sikkim
Date: July 27, 2014
Pic: Shital Pradhan

Scientific classification

Kingdom:       Plantae

Phylum:          Angiosperms

Class:              Liliopsida

Order:            Asparagales

Family:           Amaryllidaceae

Genus:            Hymenocallis  

Species:           H. littoralis

Binomial name: H. littoralis ( Jacq. ) Salisbury

Other Names:  Spider lily, Beach spider lily

Special feature: It is a perennial plant and bulbous family of Amaryllidaceae native to Mexico and Guatemala

It grows well in sandy, well drained and in warm, sunny places. You need abundant watering during the warm season and requires protection in extremely cold winters. It can survive being on the banks of canals and rivers, flowers in summer.

Hymenocallis: generic name comes from Greek and means "beautiful membrane", alluding to the staminal corona that characterizes the genre.

littoralis: epithet Latin meaning "the coast, near the sea".  (Source: Wikipedia)

Metapercnia ductaria - Sikkim Moth

 Metapercnia ductaria

Place : Shantinagar, Singtam, East Sikkim

Date:  August 29 , 2014

Pic: Shital Pradhan

Scientific classification

Kingdom:             Animalia

Phylum:               Arthropoda

Class:                    Insecta

Order:                  Lepidoptera

Family:                Geometridae

Genus:                 Metapercnia

Species:                M. ductaria

Binomial name:    Metapercnia ductaria (Walker, 1862)

Other Names: 

Special feature:

Common evening brown (Melanitis leda- wet season) - Sikkim Butterfly

Common evening brown (Melanitis leda- wet season)

Place : Singtam, East Sikkim

Date: September 17,  2014

Pic: Shital Pradhan

Scientific classification

Kingdom:             Animalia

Phylum:               Arthropoda

Class:                    Insecta

Order:                  Lepidoptera

Family:                 Nymphalidae

Genus:                  Melanitis

Species:                 M. leda

Binomial name:    Melanitis leda (Linnaeus, 1758)

Other Names: Common evening brown

Special feature: It is a common species of butterfly found flying at dusk.

Colonel C. T. Bingham wrote of the genus in 1878;-

The Melanitis was there among dead leaves, its wings folded and looking for all the world a dead, dry leaf itself. With regard to Melanitis, I have not seen it recorded anywhere that the species of this genus when disturbed fly a little way, drop suddenly into the undergrowth with closed wings, and invariably lie a little askew and slanting, which still more increases their likeness to a dead leaf casually fallen to the ground. (Wikipedia)