Black prince facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Black prince
Male
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Nymphalidae
Genus:	Rohana
Species:	R. parisatis
Binomial name
Rohana parisatis (Westwood, 1850)
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Synonyms
Apatura parisatis Westwood, 1850

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The black prince butterfly, scientifically named Rohana parisatis, is a beautiful insect. It belongs to the family of butterflies called Nymphalidae. You can find this butterfly in the Indomalayan realm, which includes many parts of Asia.

What Does the Black Prince Butterfly Look Like?

Underside of a male Black Prince butterfly

Underside of a female Black Prince butterfly

Male Butterflies

Male Black Prince butterflies have a deep, velvety black color on their upper side. Their front wings have a tiny, snow-white spot near the tip. The edges of both their front and back wings have a pattern of black and white hairs.

The underside of the male butterfly is a dark purplish-brown. It has darker brown areas near the body and along the front edge of the front wing. Both the front and back wings have two black spots in the middle area. There are also wavy, dark brown bands that cross both wings. These markings are sometimes outlined with a soft purple color. The white spot on the front wing is larger on the underside. The back wing has a small black spot with a white center near the bottom.

Their antennae are black. Their head, body (thorax), and tail end (abdomen) are velvety black on top and dark brown underneath.

Female Butterflies

Female Black Prince butterflies look different from the males. Their upper side is yellowish-brown. The base of their wings has brown shading and markings. They have a wide, angled brown band across the middle of their wings. There is also a brown shaded area further out on the wings.

On the back wings, you might see a series of faint dark spots. The front wings usually have three, and sometimes four, tiny white spots near the tip. Both wings also have a row of dark, crescent-shaped markings, followed by a dark line near the edge.

The underside of the female butterfly is yellowish-brown. Its markings are similar to the male's but are much clearer. Their antennae, head, body, and tail end are light brown, and yellowish underneath.

Differences in Southern India and Sri Lanka

There is a special group of Black Prince butterflies found in southern India and Sri Lanka, called camiba. These butterflies look almost the same as others. The only small difference is that the males have three white spots near the tip of their front wings, and the females have five. This difference can be seen on both the top and bottom sides of the wings.

What Do Black Prince Caterpillars Eat?

The caterpillars of the Black Prince butterfly are very picky eaters! They only eat leaves from certain types of trees. These trees are known as their "host plants." Here are some of the trees that Black Prince caterpillars like to munch on:

• Celtis
• Celtis philippensis
• Celtis timorensis
• Celtis tetrandra
• Celtis lycodoxylon