Bug FAQMonkey Puzzle
Rathinda amor · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
The Monkey Puzzle butterfly has dark brown-black upper wings with a violet sheen and a distinctive white (sometimes ochre) spot on the forewing, plus two smaller spots in an outward diagonal line. It lives in the jungles and scrub forests of South Asia below about 900 m, favoring undergrowth, forest paths and clearings. Adults are weak fliers that often turn, sidestep, and waggle their tail filaments when they land.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Upperside is brownish-black with a violet tint. Hindwing has two black lunular spots between the tails, a possible third spot above, all capped with orange and edged with a fine blue thread; tails are black with white tips.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Feeds on soapberries, myrtles, mangoes, and plants from Rubiaceae (e.g., Ixora coccinea), Dipterocarpeae, Euphorbiaceae, and Loranthaceae families.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
It is a weak flier. When it lands, it often turns around, sidesteps, and waggles its tail filaments.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I identify a Monkey Puzzle butterfly?
Look for dark brown-black upper wings with a violet tint, a white spot on the forewing with two smaller diagonal spots, and hindwing tails that are black with white tips and orange-capped black lunular spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does the Monkey Puzzle butterfly live?
It lives in jungles and scrub forests of South Asia below about 900 m, favoring undergrowth, forest paths and clearings.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants does it feed on?
It feeds on soapberries, myrtles, mangoes, and various Rubiaceae, Dipterocarpeae, Euphorbiaceae, and Loranthaceae species.
Source: Wikipedia
How does it behave when it lands?
It often turns around, sidesteps, and waggles its tail filaments after landing.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathinda
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.