Acytolepis puspa
Encyclopedia
The Common Hedge Blue is a small butterfly
found in India
, Myanmar
, Sri Lanka
, Philippines
, Borneo
and New Guinea
that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues
family.
). It is the type species for the genus Acytolepis
.
Wet-season brood. male. Upperside: violaceous blue, with brilliant iridescent tints in certain lights. Fore wing: the costa, apex and termen bordered with black, this edging narrows from base to the middle of the costa, then broadens greatly at apex, where it occupies the apical fourth of the wing, and is again narrowed below vein 4, whence it is continued as an even band to the tornus; on the disc beyond the apex of the cell the groundcolour is sensibly paler, and the dark markings of the cell are faintly visible by transparency from below. Hind wing: the costa very broadly, the termen much more narrowly black:; the black bordering on the latter consists of a series of rounded coalescent spots, which on the inner side are margined by faint dark lunules; these are formed not by actual scaling but by the dark markings of the underside which show through more or less clearly.
Underside: slightly bluish white; the markings, some black, some dusky, but all large and distinct. Fore wing: a short bar on the discocellulars, an anteriorly inwardly curved, transverse, discal series of seven, more or less elongate spots, of which the spot in interspace 2 is vertical and sinuous, the next above it irregularly oval and obliquely placed, the next smaller and almost round, the fourth placed almost longitudinally, forms a short bar, and the apical three decrease in size to the costa; beyond these is an inner subterminal, transverse, lunular line, an outer subterminal series of transverse spots and a very slender anticiliary line. Hind wing: two basal and three subbasal spots in vertical order; a line on the discocellulars; a spot above it at base of interspace 6; a much larger spot above that in interspace 7; a lower discal irregular transverse series of five spots, followed by terminal markings similar to those on the fore wing, except that the spots in the subterminal row are rounded, not transverse. Cilia of both fore and hind wings white alternated with dusky black at tho apices of the veins. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen dusky black, the antennae ringed with white; beneath: the palpi, thorax and abdomen white.
Female: upperside: white, the bases of the wings and in some specimens the hind wing posteriorly shot with iridescent blue. Fore wing: costa, apex and termen broadly black; the discocellulars marked with a very short, fine black line that extends down from the black on the costal margin. Hind wing: costa and apex broadly black; termen below rein 6 with a regular subterminal series of black spots in the interspaces, enclosed within an inner lunular and an outer straight slender anticiliary black line; the veins, except vein 5 in the middle, slenderly black. Cilia of both fore and bind wings white. Underside: ground-colour and markings similar to those of the male. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in the male.
Dry-season brood. Differs very slightly from the wet-season brood. In the male there is a small patch of white on the upperside of the fore wing beyond the cell and on the upperside of the hind wing on the anterior portion of the disc; the extent of this patch varies on the fore wing from a mere touch of white just beyond the cell to a large discal area of white which is diffuse with ill-defined margins. In the female the blue iridescence at the base of the wings on the upperside is in some specimens considerably restricted, in others entirely absent. On the underside in both sexes the ground-colour is paler and in form and position the markings are much less prominent, though entirely like those of the wet-season brood.
, Himalayas
, Assam
, Andamans, Nicobars, Sri Lanka
, Myanmar
, Philippines
, Borneo
, Sulawesi
and New Guinea
.
spp., Distylium racemosum, Rosa multiflora, Rosa wichuraina, R. centifolia, Prunus zippeliana, Glochidion obovatum, Myrica rubra
, Quercus phillyraeoides, Celtis sinensis
, Astilbe thunbergii, Schleichera oleosa, Hiptage benghalensis
and Xylia dolabriformis.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
found in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family.
Taxonomy
The butterfly was earlier known as Lycaenopsis puspa (ToxopeusLambertus Johannes Toxopeus
Lambertus Johannes Toxopeus, born 1894 in Toeban, Java - died April 21, 1951 in Bandung, Java was a Java born, Dutch nationality lepidopterist. He mainly worked in Indonesia then known as the Dutch East Indies and specialised in the families Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae.-References:...
). It is the type species for the genus Acytolepis
Acytolepis
Acytolepis is a genus of small butterflies that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues family.-See also:*Lycaenidae*List of butterflies of India*List of butterflies of India -References:...
.
Description
- See glossaryGlossary of Lepidopteran termsThis glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
for terms used
Range
The butterfly occurs in Peninsular IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, Andamans, Nicobars, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
.
Status
Reported as Common by Wynter-Blyth in India. Reported as Rare in Andamans to Very Rare in Nicobars.Foodplants
The larva has been recorded on Glochidion fortunei, RhododendronRhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
spp., Distylium racemosum, Rosa multiflora, Rosa wichuraina, R. centifolia, Prunus zippeliana, Glochidion obovatum, Myrica rubra
Myrica rubra
Myrica rubra, also called yangmei , yamamomo , Chinese Bayberry, Japanese Bayberry, Red Bayberry,Yumberry, or Chinese strawberry tree is a subtropical tree grown for its sweet, crimson to dark purple-red, edible fruit.- Description :It is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree...
, Quercus phillyraeoides, Celtis sinensis
Celtis sinensis
Celtis sinensis is a species of flowering plant in the hemp family, Cannabaceae, that is native to slopes in East Asia.- Description :...
, Astilbe thunbergii, Schleichera oleosa, Hiptage benghalensis
Hiptage benghalensis
Hiptage benghalensis, often simply called Hiptage, is a perennial, evergreen liana native to India, Southeast Asia and the Philippines. Its habitat is variable and prefers climates ranging from warm temperate to tropical. In Hawai'i, where H. benghalensis is considered a weed, as it is in...
and Xylia dolabriformis.
See also
- LycaenidaeLycaenidaeThe Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
- List of butterflies of India
- List of butterflies of India (Lycaenidae)
External links
- Asahi Correctly determined photos of A.puspa from the PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...