Common Leopard

Appearance

The Common Leopard is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 50–55 mm with a tawny colour and marked with black spots. The underside of the butterfly is more glossy than the upper and both the male and female are similar looking. A more prominent purple gloss on the underside is found in the dry season form of this butterfly.

Naming

The butterfly is found in Subsaharan Africa and southern Asia in a number of subspecies.

⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha phalantha''
⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha luzonica'' Fruhstofer
⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha columbina''
⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha araca''
⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha aethiopica''
⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha granti''

Distribution

The butterfly is found in Subsaharan Africa and southern Asia in a number of subspecies.

⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha phalantha''
⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha luzonica'' Fruhstofer
⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha columbina''
⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha araca''
⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha aethiopica''
⤷ ''Phalanta phalantha granti''

Status

Widely distributed and abundant. To the tops of hills in Sri Lanka and southern India and up to 3000 m in the Himalayas.
The whole of Subsaharan Africa.

Reproduction

Foodplants are species of family ''Bixaceae''. It has been recorded breeding on ''Flacourtia indica'', ''Flacourtia montana'', ''Smilax'', ''Xylosma longifolium'', and ''Salix''.

Larval host plants recorded from families Acanthaceae, Compositae, Flacourtiaceae, Primulaceae, Salicaceae, Rubiaceae, Violaceae and specific plants are ''Barleria prionitis'', ''Canthium parviflorum'', ''Coffea arabica'', ''Dovyalis caffra'', ''Dovyalis gardnerii'', ''Dovyalis hebecarpa'', ''Dovyalis macrocalyx'', ''Dovyalis rotundifolia'', ''Flacourtia indica'', ''Flacourtia inermis'', ''Flacourtia jangomas'', ''Flacourtia montana'', ''Flacourtia ramontchii'', ''Mangifera indica'', ''Maytenus buchanii'', ''Melaleuca leucadendra'', ''Petalostigma quadriloculare'', ''Populus alba'', ''Populus × canescens'', ''Populus deltoides'', ''Salix babylonica'', ''Salix tetrasperma'', ''Salix warburgii'', ''Scolopia chinensis'', ''Scolopia oldhami'', ''Scolopia scolopia'', ''Smilax tetragona'', ''Tridax procumbens'', ''Trimeria grandifolia'', ''Xylosma racemosa''.