Tailed Palmfly

Tailed Palmfly

Elymnias caudata

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Ponnani

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

18 Verified sightings at Ponnani
August Best month

About the Tailed Palmfly

Elymnias caudata, the tailed palmfly, is a species of satyrine butterfly found in South India. Some authors consider this as a subspecies of Elymnias hypermnestra. This butterfly species are sexually dimorphic: males and females do not look alike. Males have black upperside forewings with small blue patches and mimic Euploea species, while the females mimic butterfly species of the genus Danaus.

Both sexes have the wings longer, proportionately to their breadth, and the tail at apex of vein 4 on the hindwing longer compared to Elymnias hypermnestra. Upperside: Male differs from E. hypermnestra as follows: the subterminal and preapical spots on the forewing white suffused slightly with dark scales; the terminal half of the hindwing tawny, more or less suffused with dusky black, which in some specimens forms a distinct border along the termen. Female similar to the female of E. hypermnestra, but the black more extended; veins 2, 3, and 4 on the hindwing broadly bordered with black.

Underside: Female differs from E. hypermnestra in the more conspicuous broadly triangular white pre-apical patch on the forewing, and in the prominence of the broad tawny terminal half of... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kozhikode 🇮🇳 India
~40%
2 Thiruvananthapuram 🇮🇳 India
~40%
3 Ponnani 🇮🇳 India
~30%
4 Bengaluru 🇮🇳 India
~30%
5 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
~20%
6 Kochi 🇮🇳 India
~20%
7 Kollam 🇮🇳 India
~20%
8 Mysuru 🇮🇳 India
~10%
9 Pune 🇮🇳 India
~10%
10 Mumbai 🇮🇳 India
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Tailed Palmfly in Ponnani?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Tailed Palmfly sighting in Ponnani on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 11th most-seen of the 76 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Tailed Palmfly in Ponnani?

July to September

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tailed Palmfly in Ponnani on a given day, against under 5% in April–May and October–February, the lowest months. Those are among Ponnani's wettest months, with about 320 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in January.

Is Ponnani the best place to see a Tailed Palmfly?

3rd of 10

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Tailed Palmfly sightings, Ponnani ranks 3rd at about 30%. The best odds are in Kozhikode (India, about 40%) and Thiruvananthapuram (India, about 40%).

Which relatives of the Tailed Palmfly live in Ponnani?

Same family: Nymphalidae

The closest relatives of the Tailed Palmfly that you can see in Ponnani (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Great Eggfly (about 30%), Grey Pansy (about 30%) and Tawny Coster (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Tailed Palmfly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Tailed Palmfly is recorded against all the insects logged in Ponnani (18 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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