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Dakhan Common Casto Butterfly - Castor Oil Plant - Animal India

The Dakhan Common Castor (Ariadne merione merione) is an orange butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia, with a wingspan ranging between 30-35 mm. Its larvae feed almost exclusively on the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis). Like others in the family Nymphalidae, it has small, unused front legs, effectively making it four-legged. These smaller appendages are covered with long hairs, giving them a characteristic brush-like appearance. This species of butterfly is seldom seen full-bodied and can sometimes be observed sipping plant sap. Their main food source is the extract from fruits that have fallen and rotted on the ground. A Dakhan Common Castor butterfly was observed sitting on a branch of a castor oil plant in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on March 31, 2024. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto)

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