Powdered baron butterfly (Euthalia monina) is a species belonging to the Nymphalidae family. These small-to-medium-sized butterflies are dark brown with white and blue markings; they possess fine hairs, exhibit sexual dimorphism, and inhabit shrubs and low-growing trees.
E. monina has a wingspan of 50–70 mm, with wavy wing margins. Males have black or dark brown wings with a greenish-blue sheen on the outer portions, while females have dark brown wings adorned with pale gray patterns.
The head is cylindrical, featuring a pair of large, brown eyes. There is also a pair of long, dark brown antennae, each ending in a hammer-shaped, deep-red tip. On the dorsal side, the male’s wings are dark brown. In the typical form, the outer margin of the hindwing is blue and decorated with a series of small, black, arrow-shaped markings.
Eggs are laid singly on the upper surface of the host plant's leaves. Each egg is shaped like a tall dome, with a basal diameter of approximately 1.9–2.0 mm. The surface is covered in large, hexagonal depressions, with hair-like projections emerging from the corners where these depressions meet. Initially, the surface appears moist and pale green; within a few hours, the moisture evaporates, and the color shifts to dark green.
After about 5 days, the first-instar larva hatches and immediately consumes its eggshell as its first meal. The body is yellowish-green, with a pale yellowish-brown head capsule marked by two brownish lateral stripes. There are ten pairs of long, whitish, dorso-lateral projections. Black setae emerge from the body below these projections, and there is a series of shorter projections along the dorsal region. Within 3 days, the larva reaches a body length of 6 mm. A dormant phase prior to molting, with a length of 5.8 mm.
The 2nd instar is predominantly yellowish-green. It features ten pairs of short, elongated protrusions. Each protrusion extends horizontally and is covered in numerous branched spines, which almost always remain in contact with the leaf surface. These protrusions are generally pale yellow. On the dorsal side, white spots appear between the 3rd and 10th protrusions; these spots become more distinct and take on an oblong to elliptical shape. This phase lasts for 3 days, with a body length of 10 mm.
The 3rd instar exhibits several small spots. All protrusions grow proportionally longer. The branched spines resemble bird feathers, with secondary spines arranged neatly around the primary spines; some of these branched spines are black. On the dorsal side, a row of 8 white spots appears longer and more conspicuous. This phase lasts for 3 days, with a length of 13–14 mm.
In the 4th instar, the horizontal spines on each elongated protrusion are mostly pale green, while the shorter, vertical spines are black. The tips of the protrusions are black with white ends. The spots on the dorsal side appear more elongated and nearly touch one another. This phase lasts 3–4 days, with a length of 22–23 mm.
The 5th instar displays a darker, jade-green coloration, and the spots on the dorsal side merge to form a continuous, yellowish band. Faint pinkish spots are visible within this band. This phase lasts 3–4 days, with a length of 28 mm.
The final stage of the 5th instar, in a dormant state prior to molting, measures 28 mm in length. In the 6th instar, the pinkish markings within the dorsal stripe become more distinct and pronounced. The caterpillar tends to rest on the upper surface of a leaf, with its yellowish dorsal stripe aligned parallel to the primary or secondary leaf veins, which share a similar coloration. This phase lasts approximately 9 days, during which the caterpillar reaches a length of 40 mm.
On the final day, the caterpillar ceases feeding, and its body begins to shrink. It settles on the underside of a leaf and spins a significant amount of silk to create a silk pad, to which it anchors its posterior prolegs. In this pre-pupal phase, the caterpillar hangs from this point with its head facing downward. The dorsal stripe turns entirely white, and a transverse white band—containing bright red markings—appears across the back.
After spending about one day in the pre-pupal phase, the caterpillar undergoes pupation. The resulting green pupa hangs suspended, with its cremaster firmly attached to the silk pad. Two short, silvery, horn-like projections are visible on the head. The pupa measures 21–22 mm in length. Eight days later, the pupa darkens in color, particularly around the wing sheaths. The following day, the adult butterfly emerges.
TAXON
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Subclass: Pterygota
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Papilionoidea
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Limenitidinae
Tribe: Adoliadini
Genus: Euthalia Hübner (1819)
Species: Euthalia monina Moore (1859)
Subspecies:
E. m. cordata Weymer (1887 in Nias Island
E. m. discipilota Moore (1878) in northern Myanmar
E. m. erana de Nicéville in Sumatra, Batu Islands
E. m. grahami Riley & Godfrey (1921) in Peninsular Thailand
E. m. ilka Fruhstorfer (1899) in northern Borneo
E. m. indras Vollenhoven in southern Borneo
E. m. insularis Eliot (1978) in Peninsular Malaysia
E. m. jiwabaruana Eliot (1980) in Mentawai Islands
E. m. kesava Moore (1859) in Sikkim, Assam, Myanmar, southern Yunnan
E. m. monina in Peninsular Malaya, Singapore, Langkawi
E. m. natuna Fruhstorfer (1906) in Natuna Islands
E. m. obsoleta Fruhstorfer (1897) in Lombok
E. m. remias Corbet in central Myanmar, Thailand
E. m. salia Moore (1857) in Java
E. m. sastra Fruhstorfer in Indochina
E. m. sramana Fruhstorfer (1913) in Bali
E. m. suluana Fruhstorfer (1902) in Sulu Island
E. m. tanagra Staudinger in Palawan
E. m. tudela Fruhstorfer in southern China, Hainan
E. m. varius Tsukada (1991)
SYNONYMS
Adolias kesava Moore (1859)
Adolias ramada Moore (1859)
Adolias salia Moore (1857)
Euthalia rangoonensis C. Swinhoe (1890)
Nora gardineri Fruhstorfer (1906)
Nora perakana Fruhstorfer (1899)
Papilio monina Fabricius (1787)
VERNACULAR NAME
Chinese (simplified): 暗斑翠蛱蝶
Chinese (traditional): 暗斑翠蛺蝶
English: Powdered baron, Malay baron
Indonesia: Kupu-kupu monina
Japanese: モニナイナズマ
Java: Kupu monina
Thai: ผีเสื้อบารอนมลายู
Aryo Bandoro
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