Nymphalis canace (Blue Admiral, Blauer Admiral)

Nymphalis canace, also called Blue Admiral is a butterfly from Australasia / Indomalaya ecozone (Australia). The first description was in 1763 by Linnaeus. The wingspan is about 6.0 – 7.0 cm. This butterfly is a member of the family NYMPHALIDAE. Nymphalis canace is black. It has a blue band at the outer edge. The underside is black and brown.

Photos for easy identification

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer

Here you can see some photos of Nymphalis canace (Blue Admiral, Blauer Admiral). Nymphalis canace is a member of the family NYMPHALIDAE from Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia).

Description

The fore wings are black. The outer edge is wavy. In the wing tip there is a little white spot. At the wing leading edge there is a blue or white spot. At the outer edge there is a blue band.
The underside of Nymphalis canace is black and brown.

The hind wings of Nymphalis canace are black. The outer edge is strongly wavy. The wing is dominated by a broad, blue band. This band contains a chain of tiny black spots. At the outer edge there is a thin blue line.
The underside is black and brown.

The body is black.

Sex differences: None.

Macro photos

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; macro photograph of Nymphalis canace (upside)

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; macro photograph of Nymphalis canace (upside)

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; macro photograph of Nymphalis canace (underside)

: Photo © by Thomas Neubauer; macro photograph of Nymphalis canace (underside)

Here you can see some macro photos of Nymphalis canace.

Distribution

Nymphalis canace is a butterfly from the Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia). The distribution extends from Malaysia to India and China. But you can also meet this butterfly in the Palaearctic (Asia) (Russia and Japan).

: This world map shows the ecozones in which this butterfly is distributed.

Larval food

Dioscoreaceae:

Smilacaceae:

Heterosmilax japonica
Smilax aspericaulis
Smilax bracteata
Smilax china
Smilax lanceifolia
Smilax perfoliata
Smilax riparia
Smilax sebeana
Smilax sieboldii

Convallariaceae:

Streptopus amplexifolius
Tricyrtis

General information

The first description of this butterfly was in 1763 by Linnaeus. There are some subspecies.

Nymphalis canace battakana [de Nicéville, 1896]
Nymphalis canace benguetana [Semper, 1888]
Nymphalis canace charonia [Drury, 1770]
Nymphalis canace charonides [Stichel, [1908]
Nymphalis canace drilon [Fruhstorfer, 1912]
Nymphalis canace haronica [Moore, 1879]
Nymphalis canace ishima [Fruhstorfer, 1899]
Nymphalis canace javanica [Fruhstorfer, 1912]
Nymphalis canace maniliana [Fruhstorfer, 1912]
Nymphalis canace muscosa [Tsukada & Nishiyama, 1979]
Nymphalis canace nojaponicum [von Siebold, 1824]
Nymphalis canace perakana [Distant, 1886]

Protection provisions / Red List

CITES: (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora):

-no entry- (as at 23.06.2005)
EU regulation on trading with species of wild Fauna and Flora

-no entry- (as at 19.08.2005)
IUCN Red List of threatened species:

-no entry- (as at 2004) (see: www.redlist.org/)