Malabar Torrent Dart (<i>Euphaea fraseri</i>) female, a member of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphaeidae" class="extiw" title="w:Euphaeidae">Euphaeidae</a> family. The species is endemic to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Ghats" class="extiw" title="w:Western Ghats">Western Ghats</a> of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India" class="extiw" title="w:India">India</a>. The species is known to occur from North and South <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanara" class="extiw" title="w:Kanara">Kanara</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coorg" class="extiw" title="w:Coorg">Coorg</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnataka" class="extiw" title="w:Karnataka">Karnataka</a>; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayanad" class="extiw" title="w:Wayanad">Wayanad</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala" class="extiw" title="w:Kerala">Kerala</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nilgiris" class="extiw" title="w:Nilgiris">Nilgiris</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaimalai_Hills" class="extiw" title="w:Anaimalai Hills">Anaimalai Hills</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Nadu" class="extiw" title="w:Tamil Nadu">Tamil Nadu</a> (Fraser 1934). Found on the rivers (along with <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphaea_dispar" class="extiw" title="w:Euphaea dispar">Euphaea dispar</a></i>) at a lower elevation in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malabar_region" class="extiw" title="w:Malabar region">Malabar</a> and it occurs sparingly near sea-level. In <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coorg" class="extiw" title="w:Coorg">Coorg</a> and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nilgiris" class="extiw" title="w:Nilgiris">Nilgiris</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malabar_region" class="extiw" title="w:Malabar region">Malabar</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waynad" class="extiw" title="w:Waynad">Waynad</a> it occurs up to 3,500 ft. Recently, it was also reported from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goa" class="extiw" title="w:Goa">Goa</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala" class="extiw" title="w:Kerala">Kerala</a>.
<p>The species is common in hill streams from about 90 to 1,000 m. Males are very common and can be seen using the same perch for days together. Females are not uncommon in the neighbouring jungle, settled on twigs at about 8 to 12 ft from the ground (Fraser 1934). Males open wings and prominently display the iridescent copper markings of the upper hind wing. It breeds in hill streams and larvae can be collected throughout the year.
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Taken at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadavoor" class="extiw" title="w:Kadavoor">Kadavoor</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala" class="extiw" title="w:Kerala">Kerala</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India" class="extiw" title="w:India">India</a>.
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jkadavoor" title="User:Jkadavoor">Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India</a>
CC BY-SA 4.0
<span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>