 The
Baron is a relatively common urban butterfly, mainly because of its host
plant, Mango (Mangifera indica). Its caterpillars have been
reported to also feed on the parasitic mistletoe, Scurrula, and
the Cashew Nut tree (Anacardium occidentale). The butterfly
is rather local and often stays in the vicinity where its host plant can
be found. The Baron is a robust butterfly, with a stout body and
rather small wings. It is a rapid flyer, and can often be seen basking
in sunlit spots with tits wings opened flat. However, when it locates
a food source like the ripened inflorescence of the Singapore Rhododendron
(Melastoma malabathricum), it tends to feed greedily and the fermenting
nectar source sometimes renders the butterfly in an almost stupor-like
state, such that one can pick it off its feeding frenzy with one's fingers! 
The wings are dark brown above,
and paler in the larger female. There is a post-discal band on both
wings, with the inner edge defined by a few small white spots. The
underside is buff brown with a series of black submarginal spots on the
hindwings.
The caterpillar is green with
a yellow dorsal stripe. Its unique appearance makes it appear like
a walking TV antenna with its branched spines and processes extending way
beyond the caterpillar's body.  |
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