Elymnias caudata
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
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 →
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More parks will be added in future updates.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tailed Palmfly sighting in Thiruvananthapuram on a given day, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 7th most-seen of the 112 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Tailed Palmfly in Thiruvananthapuram on a given day, against under 5% in May and December–March, the lowest months. That is one of Thiruvananthapuram's wettest months, with about 290 mm of rain against 15 mm in January.
Among the best
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Tailed Palmfly sightings, Thiruvananthapuram ranks 2nd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kozhikode (India, about 40%).
Same family: Nymphalidae
The closest relatives of the Tailed Palmfly that you can see in Thiruvananthapuram (family Nymphalidae, Brush-footed Butterflies) are Chocolate Pansy (about 50%), Tawny Coster (about 40%) and Plain Tiger Butterfly (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tailed Palmfly is recorded against all the insects logged in Thiruvananthapuram (28 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.
