Mycalesis perseus (Common Bushbrown) - Sikkim Butterfly

Mycalesis perseus (Common Bushbrown)

Venue: Dalapchand, Rongli, East Sikkim

Date: September 24, 2012

Pic: Shital Pradhan

Scientific classification

Kingdom:                   Animalia

Phylum:                      Arthropoda

Class:                          Insecta

Order:                        Lepidoptera

Superfamily:              Papilionoidea

Family:                       Nymphalidae

Subfamily:                 Satyrinae

Genus:                        Mycalesis

Species:                       Mycalesis perseus

Binomial name:    Mycalesis perseus (Fabricius, 1775)

Other Names: Dingy Bushbrown or Common Bushbrown

Special feature:  

Giant wood spider (Nephila pilipes) - Sikkim Spider

Nephila pilipes (Giant wood spider)

Venue: Sirwani, Singtam,  South Sikkim

Date: November 29, 2014

Pic: Shital Pradhan

Scientific classification

Kingdom:       Animalia

Phylum:          Arthropoda

Class:             Arachnida

Order:            Araneae

Suborder:       Araneomorphae

Family:           Nephilidae

Genus:            Nephila

Species:           N. pilipes

Binomial name: Nephila pilipes (Fabricius, 1793)

Other Names: Giant Wood Spider, golden orb-weavers  or banana spiders.

Special feature:  Females are large and grow to a body size of 30–50 mm (overall size up to 20 cm), with males growing to 5–6 mm. It is one of the biggest spiders in the world.

The Nephila pilipes' web is vertical with a fine irregular mesh and not symmetrical, with the hub is usually nearer the top. Rather than egg sacks being hung in the web, a pit is dug which is then covered with plant debris or soil.

The first, second and fourth pairs of legs of juvenile females have dense hairy brushes, but as the spider matures these brushes disappear. (Source: Wikipedia)

Cirrochroa aoris (Large Yeoman) - Sikkim Butterfly

Cirrochroa aoris (Large Yeoman)

Venue: Sirwani, Singtam,  South Sikkim

Date: November 29, 2014

Pic: Shital Pradhan

Scientific classification

Kingdom:       Animalia

Phylum:          Arthropoda

Class:              Insecta

Order:            Lepidoptera

Family:           Nymphalidae

Genus:            Cirrochroa

Species:           C. aoris

Binomial name: Cirrochroa aoris Doubleday, 1847

Other Names: Large Yeoman

Special feature:  The genus Cirrochroa comprises of 18 species, of which 15 occur in the Oriental region, plus 2 on Papua New Guinea, and one on the island of Biak. Cirrochroa aoris is found in India, Bhutan and Myanmar.