The White-banded Hedge Blue (Lycaenopsis transpectus) is a small butterfly

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...

 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.

Description

Male upperside white. Fore wing: costa narrowly, apex broadly and terminal border black, the inner margin of this colour curved opposite the apex but extended straight down the termen to the dorsal margin, the black border on the termen of even width below vein 4; the rest of the wing, except a very broad discal anteriorly-rounded area, shaded with lilacine blue. Hind wing : shaded with lilacine blue that fades to diffuse white on an anterior discal area corresponding to the white discal area on the fore wing; a subterminal series of transverse small spots and a slender anticiliary line black. In some specimens (var. latimargo) there is a broad black band on the termen which coalesces with and spreads inwards beyond the line of subterminal black spots. Underside: white with a faint bluish tint; markings slender and delicate. Fore wing: a slender short brown line on the discocellulars; a postdiscal, very regular, transverse series of abbreviated, slender, short pale brown lines all en Scfielon with one another, followed by an obscure similarly coloured lunular line and subterminal series of spots. Hind wing: the three transversely-placed sub-basal spots and the subcostal spot in interspace 7 black, the rest of the markings pale brown, the discal series of spots more regular than, in most of the forms; the terminal markings as on the forewing. In var. latimargo the markings are much coarser and the terminal series on both fore and hind wings more clearly defined. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen black, the antennas annulated with white ; beneath: the palpi, thorax and abdomen white. Female upperside: similar to that of the male but the white area of much less extent on the fore wing, of greater extent on the hind wing, the suffusion of lilacine blue absent on both fore and hind wings; the terminal markings on the hind wing broader and more clearly defined. Underside ground-colour and markings as in the male. Antenna, head, thorax and abdomen dark brown, not black, but otherwise as in the male.

Taxonomy

The butterfly was earlier known as Lycaenopsis transpecta Moore

Frederic Moore

Frederic Moore FZS was a British entomologist. It has been said that Moore was born at 33 Bruton Street but may be incorrect given that this was the address of the menagerie and office of the Zoological Society of London from 1826 to 1836.Moore was appointed an assistant in the East India Company...

.

See also

• Lycaenidae
  Lycaenidae
  The 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)