Dry season form of common evening brown hiding in leaf litter

The Common Evening Browns are distributed throughout India except extreme North West of India and are commonly present across entire South East Asia. They are commonly found in various habitats except deserts. The Common Evening Brown can be seen inside NEERI urban forests hiding in leaf litter. This species occurs in forests and plantations at elevations between sea level and about 500m.

Common evening brown butterfly usually fly at dawn and shortly before dusk and are not normally seen during the day, except when disturbed. Habit and habitat of the butterfly includes jerky flights close to the grounds. These butterflies are on the wing throughout the year. The butterflies are normally found in small colonies in forests and plantations. They fly mainly in the early part of the evening and often enter houses, attracted by artificial lighting. During the daytime they rest in the undergrowth but are easily disturbed from their resting places.

The upperside of the butterfly is dark brown with a black subapical patch bearing two white spots and inwardly shaded with orange brown. The very variable underside is buff or grey, with fine dark brown striations. A submarginal row of yellow-ringed ocelli are usually found in the typical example. The variations in the undersides seem to be related to the wet and dry seasons in the region. It is a medium-sized butterfly, often attaining a wingspan of 60-80 mm.

Common Evening Brown is partial to tree sap, over ripe fruits; occasionally it visits flowers, especially during early mornings.