Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka
Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka
Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka
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T<br />
LC<br />
Nilgiri Tit Hypolycaena nilgirica<br />
Large Guava Blue Virachola perse<br />
S<br />
VU<br />
Lycaenidae<br />
Female<br />
The male is dark reddish purple-brown on the upper side. It has two black spots<br />
capped in orange near the tails. The female is pale brown. The black spots at the<br />
tornus are not heavily capped in orange as in the male. It has tapering patches <strong>of</strong><br />
white dustings above the black spots and in the adjacent interspaces. The underside<br />
looks similar in both sexes but can vary. The background is white with a black spot at<br />
each tail, as on the upper side. Both wings have a faint sub-marginal band <strong>of</strong> crescentshaped<br />
markings and a distinct distal band. The hind wing has a black spot near the<br />
upper margin and golden yellow wavy markings in the distal band at the bottom.<br />
It has another black spot above the cell <strong>of</strong> the hind wing, basally to the distal band.<br />
Males engage in mud sipping. Their flight is moderately fast and they visit flowers in<br />
hedges. They bask in the morning, but do not open their wings otherwise.<br />
It has a minute tail at the tornus and a circular lobe near the anal angle. This lobe is<br />
situated perpendicular to the wing when the butterfly is in closed wing position and<br />
acts as a false eye spots at the back. The male has a shiny bright blue colour on the<br />
upper surface <strong>of</strong> most <strong>of</strong> the hind wing and basal parts <strong>of</strong> forewing, while the rest is<br />
black in colour. It has a sex brand on the hind wing which is usually concealed by the<br />
forewing. The female is a more muted shade <strong>of</strong> blue and does not have the sex brand.<br />
It has a whitish patch beyond the forewing cell and a sub-marginal row <strong>of</strong> indistinct<br />
black spots on the hind wing. The underside has the same pattern in both sexes but<br />
the male has a purple wash over the background. It has a distal row <strong>of</strong> large spots and<br />
a cell end spot in both wings. A circular black spot is present in the basal area near the<br />
upper margin <strong>of</strong> the hind wing. ‘Eye spots’ are present at both the tornus and the lobe,<br />
with light blue scales apparent in between.<br />
Male<br />
Male<br />
Lycaenidae<br />
The cryptic Nilgiri Tit appears to be more common than we encounter. Their early<br />
stages are more prevalent. They inhabit forests and lush home gardens, especially<br />
those with orchids.<br />
LFPs: Flowers and aerial roots <strong>of</strong> both native and introduced orchids including<br />
Spathoglottis plicata, Malaxis versicolour and Vanda tessellata.<br />
It is a very fast flier and eagerly feeds on flowers <strong>of</strong> shrubs and large herbs.<br />
It is a dry zone butterfly who is found in any type <strong>of</strong> open vegetation, where its larval<br />
food plant grows.<br />
LFPs: Larvae feed within the fruit <strong>of</strong> Catunaregam spinosa (l=l=reudka$mqmqreuy).<br />
102 <strong>Common</strong> <strong>Butterflies</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Sri</strong> <strong>Lanka</strong><br />
<strong>Common</strong> <strong>Butterflies</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Sri</strong> <strong>Lanka</strong> 103