Bug FAQCommon Castor Butterfly
Ariadne merione · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Nymphalidae
Also called: Common Castor
The Common Castor Butterfly has a wingspan of about 30 to 35 mm or 52 to 62 mm, depending on the source. It lives across South and Southeast Asia, from the Himalayas through India, Myanmar, Cambodia and the Malayan region. Caterpillars are covered in long spiny bristles for protection, and the adult’s front legs are reduced, making it appear four-legged; the chrysalis is pale green and angular.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males have brown-ochre uppersides with several thin, sinuous dark lines across both fore- and hindwings.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan ranges from 30 to 35 mm. Another source lists the wingspan as 52 to 62 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found throughout South and Southeast Asia. Recorded from the Himalayas (Simla to Sikkim), Rajputana, Bengal, Assam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Tenasserim and the Malayan subregion.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Caterpillars bear long, spiny bristles that help deter predators.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Like other Nymphalidae, the front two legs are small and unused, so the butterfly appears to have four legs. The chrysalis is pale green and has an angular shape.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to South and Southeast Asia. Occurs across India, the Himalayas, and further east into Southeast Asian countries.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It resembles Ariadne ariadne, the angled castor, in overall appearance. The underside is similar but shows broader, more diffuse chestnut bands.
Source: Wikipedia
Questions people ask
How can I tell the Common Castor Butterfly apart from similar species?
Look for the male’s brown-ochre upperside with thin, sinuous dark lines and note the broader chestnut bands on the underside compared with Ariadne ariadne.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Nymphalidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariadne_merione
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.