No-brand crow facts for kids
The No-brand crow (Euploea alcathoe) is a common and beautiful butterfly. You can find it in many places, from India all the way to Borneo, and even in the Moluccas, New Guinea and Australia. It's also known as the Eichhorn's crow or striped black crow. This butterfly is part of a group called "crows and tigers," which are a type of brush-footed butterfly.
Quick facts for kids No-brand crow |
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Euploea
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E. alcathoe
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| Euploea alcathoe (Godart, [1819])
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Contents
About the No-brand Crow
What Does It Look Like?
This butterfly is quite large! Its wingspan can be around 80 mm (about 3 inches). Adult No-brand crows are mostly black. Their wings get a bit lighter towards the edges. They have cool white spots that form arcs near the tips of their front wings. You can also see white spots around the edges of their back wings.
Where Do They Live and How Do They Act?
These butterflies usually stay close to the ground. They fly within 3 m (about 10 ft) of the forest floor. You can often spot them in sunny patches under the trees. They like to rest on leaves of small plants and tiny twigs.
Life Cycle of the No-brand Crow
What Do the Larvae Eat?
The young butterflies, called larvae or caterpillars, love to munch on certain plants. In Australia, they eat plants like Nerium indicum, Nerium oleander, Mandevilla, Asclepias, Hoya australis, Marsdenia australis, Ficus platypoda, Gymnanthera oblonga, and Ficus obliqua.
There's a special type of No-brand crow in Gove, Australia, called Euploea alcathoe enastri. Its larvae also eat vines like Parsonsia alboflavescens and Tylophora benthamii.
How Do the Larvae Grow?
When they are very young, the larvae are a pale orange color. They have four pairs of black, tentacle-like parts. As they grow bigger, they develop black and white bands on their bodies. They also get several black bars on each part of their abdomen. A fully grown larva can reach about 50 mm (2 inches) long.
When Do They Fly?
In Australia, adult No-brand crows are most common during the wet season. This is usually from December to May. They can have several generations of butterflies born throughout the year.
Different Kinds of No-brand Crows
Just like there are different breeds of dogs, there are different types of No-brand crows. These are called subspecies. Here are some of them:
- Euploea alcathoe alcathoe
- Euploea alcathoe eichhorni Staudinger, 1884 (found from Cape York to Ingham in Australia)
- Euploea alcathoe enastri (Gove Peninsula in Australia)
- Euploea alcathoe alecto Butler, 1866 (found in Buru, Ambon, Serang)
- Euploea alcathoe zodica Fruhstorfer, 1904 (found in Obi)
- Euploea alcathoe pierretii C. & R. Felder, [1865] (found in West Irian)
- Euploea alcathoe macgregori Kirby, 1889 (found in D'Entrecasteaux Islands)
- Euploea alcathoe diadema Moore, 1883 (found in Papua, Goodenough)
- Euploea alcathoe coffea Fruhstorfer, 1910 (found in eastern New Guinea, Karkar Island)
- Euploea alcathoe samaraina Carpenter, 1953 (found in south-eastern Papua New Guinea: Samarai Island)
- Euploea alcathoe monilifera (Moore, 1883) (found in Cape York, Thursday Island in Australia)
Protecting the No-brand Crow
Why Are Some No-brand Crows in Danger?
One special type of No-brand crow, the enastri subspecies from the Gove Peninsula in Australia, is in danger. This means it's classified as endangered. Male butterflies have been seen in clearings in rainforests. Females have been found in nearby paperbark swamps.
What Are the Threats?
This subspecies is threatened by several things.
- Their homes (habitats) are being destroyed or damaged. This can happen because of water buffalo and feral pigs.
- Another threat is an insect called the yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes). These ants can invade the butterfly's environment and cause problems.
