Chlosyne janais(Chlosyne janais)
Phylum —arthropoda
Class —insecta
Order — lepidoptera
Family —nymphalidae
Genus –сhlosyne
Appearance
The caterpillars are grey white to green with several transverse rows of fleshly black spines.
The dorsal and ventral wing surface is black with several undulating rows of small white spots on the medial forewings and along all outer wing margins. On each dorsal hindwing is a medial orange-red patch situated anteriorly. The ventral hindwings have a fragmented yellow proximal patch bordered by a thick postmedial band of red that does not reach the wing margins. Maximum wingspan is 4.8–6.7 cm.
Habitat
This butterfly species is found in South, Central and North America.
Behavior
It demonstrates morning activity. Males often visit the shores of reservoirs, where they drink water with minerals dissolved in it.
Diet
Caterpillars feed primarily on acanthus shrubs, especially Anisacanthus wrightii and Odontonema callistachus (in Texas), upon which adult females lay their eggs.Butterflies feed on nectar.
Reproduction
For their reproduction you need a terrarium with a size of 50 x 50 x 70 cm. Females lay eggs in groups on the lower part of the leaves of the forage plant. The eggs are yellow and oval. In the terrarium, it is advisable to put a pot with a forage plant. It is better to keep the caterpillars in terrariums of 6-8 pieces. They should be kept at a room temperature. The humidity is 60-70%. The pupa is yellow with small black dots.
In captivity
The mesh terrarium with a size of 50 × 50 × 70 mm is suitable for keeping butterflies. Room temperature is necessary. Daylight time is 12 hours. You can feed butterflies with honey syrup diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:10.