Euthalia monina

Euthalia monina, the powdered baron or Malay baron, is a species of nymphalid butterfly. The species was first described by Frederic Moore in 1859.

Subspecies
Several forms are described for subspecies monina, including form monina, decorata (Butler, 1869) and gardineri (Fruhstorfer, 1906).
 * E. m. monina (Peninsular Malaya, Singapore, Langkawi) – Malay baron
 * E. m. insularis Eliot, 1978 – (Peninsular Malaysia)
 * E. m. kesava (Moore, 1859) (Sikkim to Assam, Myanmar, southern Yunnan) – powdered baron
 * E. m. discipilota Moore, 1878 – (northern Myanmar)
 * E. m. remias Corbet – (central Myanmar to Thailand)
 * E. m. varius Tsukada, 1991
 * E. m. grahami Riley & Godfrey, 1921 – (Peninsular Thailand)
 * E. m. sastra Fruhstorfer – (Indochina)
 * E. m. tudela Fruhstorfer – (southern China, Hainan)
 * E. m. erana de Nicéville – (Sumatra, Batu Islands)
 * E. m. cordata Weymer, 1887 – (Nias Island)
 * E. m. ilka Fruhstorfer, 1899 – (northern Borneo)
 * E. m. natuna Fruhstorfer, 1906 – (Natuna Islands)
 * E. m. indras Vollenhoven – (southern Borneo)
 * E. m. salia (Moore, 1857) – (Java)
 * E. m. tanagra Staudinger – (Palawan)
 * E. m. suluana Fruhstorfer, 1902 – (Sulu Island)
 * E. m. sramana Fruhstorfer, 1913 – (Bali)
 * E. m. obsoleta Fruhstorfer, 1897 – (Lombok)
 * E. m. jiwabaruana Eliot, 1980 – (Mentawai Islands)

Description
The wingspan of these butterflies can reach about 50 - 70 mm. The males of Euthalia monina have blackish or dark brown wings, with a blue-green iridescence on the outer part. The wings of the females are dark brown with pale greyish markings.

Biology
Known host plants of the caterpillars include: Clidemia hirta (Melastomataceae), Diospyros melanoxylon (Ebenaceae), Macaranga hullettii, Mallotus subpeltatus (Euphorbiaceae), and Shorea robusta (Dipterocarpaceae).

Distribution and habitat
This species can be found in Asia, mainly in Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Peninsular Malaya, Sikkim - Assam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand. This butterfly prefers small clearings, glades and trails in primary rainforests, at an elevation of 0 - 1000 m above sea level.