Red lacewing

Cethosia biblis belongs to Nymphalidae. Red lacewing, common lacewing and batik lacewing are common names for this butterfly. [1][2]

Bright upper-wing fields contrast with repeated light-and-dark markings that form a lacy border along the margins. [2]

Chicago Botanic Garden lists an Asian distribution including central India, China, Nepal, Thailand and the Philippines. The cited life-history study examined a population in Xishuangbanna, southern China. [2][3]

The Xishuangbanna study records eggs laid in clusters, strongly gregarious caterpillars and five larval instars, or growth stages between moults. [3]

The studied population produced approximately eight annual generations. Larvae and adults overwintered, and larval dormancy was not observed under the regional conditions studied. [3]

The study records Adenia cardiophylla and Adenia penangiana, in Passifloraceae, as larval hosts. The garden account likewise associates caterpillars with climbing passionflower-family plants. [3][2]

Adults in the Chinese study visited flowers and also fed on rotting fruit. [3]

Chicago Botanic Garden interprets the bright upper-wing colours as a warning of unpleasant taste to predators. [2]

Papilio biblis is the original combination recorded for the species now placed in Cethosia. [1]

The broad colour fields contrast with the repeated rows of marginal markings described in the species account. [2]

Warm colour, strong contrast and repeated marginal details give the framed composition its structure. Botanical ornaments and symbolic motifs extend that visual language.

Keep the enclosure closed and protect the specimen from light, humidity, heat and unnecessary movement. Handle the frame rather than the wings. [4]

Do caterpillars live in groups? The Xishuangbanna study describes strongly gregarious larvae developing from clustered eggs. [3]

What do adults eat? Flower visits and feeding on rotting fruit were recorded in the Chinese study. [3]

The taxonomic record supplies the historical combination. Chicago Botanic Garden summarizes adult appearance and range; the Xishuangbanna study documents immature stages, generations, named hosts and adult food. [1][2][3]