shade, flying in the open patches for a while and resting a while when in the shade. As it is a wary butterfly which rarely settles on the top of bushes, resting instead mostly on the undersides of leaves, it is difficult to get a good look at the common spotted flat in the field. Its fast, zig-zagging flight also makes it difficult to track while in the air. It flies fast and low, usually below 6 feet, and aggressively defends its territory from other butterflies. When disturbed, it buzzes in circles around before settling down, near to where it was perched before. This species, like others of its group, is distinguished by its habit of keeping its wings spread flat; the behaviour which gives these butterflies their name. Eggs The egg of the common spotted flat are green, dome-shaped, glossy and have many small longitudinal ridges with smooth surfaces in between. The egg is laid on the young leaves of plants in shady places, both above and below the leaf surface. The eggshell forms the first meal of the newly hatched caterpillar. Caterpillars After eating the eggshell, the first instar caterpillar constructs a cell from a triangular piece of leaf which it folds over the upper surface of the leaf. It lines the inside with silk. Here, the caterpillar resides till it outgrows the cell, whereupon it proceeds to construct a larger one, purse shaped using two leaves where it rests with head turned on the side. If disturbed, the caterpillar raises its front over the back with legs outstretched and jaws open. The caterpillar is dark olive green with a dorsal wavy line of deeper tinge. It has a paler coloured band running along the spiracles throughout the length of the body. The legs and underside of the caterpillar are pale green. The skin is dull, transparent and is covered with minute whitish hairs. Its heart-shaped head is glossy, dark with a rufous tinge, and having a flat base below. Pupa The caterpillar pupates in a cell, sometimes on fresh leaves, at other times on dead leaves or even in the leaf litter. The pale reddish-golden pupa is cylindrical, widest at the thorax, tapering quickly towards the head and gently towards the rear. The head has a small rounded protuberance. The pupa is firmly fixed to the silk pad. Host plants The food plants are mostly common Acanthaceae