Poritia hewitsoni

Taxobox
name = Common Gem

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image_width =230px
image_caption = "Poritia hewitsoni" Male left, female right.
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Lepidoptera
superfamilia = Papilionoidea
familia = Lycaenidae
genus = "Poritia"
species = "P. hewitsoni"
binomial = "Poritia hewitsoni"
binomial_authority = (Moore, 1865)

The Common Gem ("Poritia hewitsoni") [http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-curation/projects/lepindex/detail.dsml?TaxonNo=194669.0&UserID=&UserName=&&listPageURL=list%2edsml%3fOriginal%5fAuthorqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Current%5ftribeqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Current%5ffamily%3dLycaenidae%26SCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon%5fcard%3dhewitsoni%26sort%3dSCIENTIFIC%255fNAME%255fon%255fcard%26SCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon%5fcardqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Current%5fsubfamilyqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Current%5fsuperfamilyqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Current%5ffamilyqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Distribqtype%3dcontains%26recLimit%3d30%26Current%5fgenusqtype%3dstarts%2bwith&searchPageURL=indexadv%2edsml%3fOriginal%5fAuthorqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Current%5ftribeqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Current%5ffamily%3dLycaenidae%26SCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon%5fcard%3dhewitsoni%26sort%3dSCIENTIFIC%255fNAME%255fon%255fcard%26SCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon%5fcardqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Current%5fsubfamilyqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Current%5fsuperfamilyqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Current%5ffamilyqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26Distribqtype%3dcontains%26recLimit%3d30%26Current%5fgenusqtype%3dstarts%2bwith Card for species "hewitsoni" in LepIndex. Accessed 04 December 2006.] ] is a small butterfly found in India, MyanmarEvans,W.H.(1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies, ser no H2.5, pg 208. ] , Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam [http://www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/lycaenidae/poritiinae/poritia/index.html Page on Marrku Savela's site for genus Poritia (Lycaenidae).] ] that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues family.

Range

It ranges along the Himalayas from Kumaon to Assam in India and onto Myanmar. Recorded from Mangan and Rangpo in SikkimHaribal, Meena. (1994) The Butterflies of Sikkim, ser no 106, pp 91-92, Plate 25 (images of male & female).] Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, pg 252.] .

Description

A small butterfly, 31 to 38 mm wingspan. Male - Upper dark iridescent blue, usually with sub-marginal and apical spots. The cell on UPF is entirely devoid of blue or with a minute blue spot at the base in some cases. Males also have a tufted brand on the upper HW above vein 7. The underside is brown with variable pale lineation. Females - Brown above, with a few blue spots. The upper forewing has a yellow discal patch above blue area..

Taxonomy

The butterfly has five subspecies in South Asia :-
* "P. hewitsoni hewitsoni" Moore, 1865 - Kumaon to Assam and Not Rare as per Evans. Sikkim to North Myanmar and North Thailand.
* "P. hewitsoni tavoyana" Doherty 1889 - Myanmar. Not Rare. Manipur, S.Burma, Thailand - Peninsular Malaya.
* "P. hewitsoni taleva" Corbet, 1940 - Penminsular Malaya.
* "P. hewitsoni ampsaga" Fruhstorfer, 1912 - Vietnam.

Habits

The Common Gem is a butterfly found flying high in the lowland jungles. The males tend to fly rapidly and settle on leaves. Occurs in Sikkim in October and November. The tufted brand on the male hind-wing has a discernible, distinct odour.

Life History

* Egg - Truncate, half as long as wide. With two vertical and sloping and two horizontal faces.

Cited references

References

References

Print
*aut|Evans, W.H. (1932) "The Identification of Indian Butterflies". 2nd Ed, (i to x, pp454, 9 figs, Plates I to XXXII), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.
*aut|Haribal, Meena. (1992) "Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and their Natural History" (pp 217). Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation.
*aut|Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) "Butterflies of the Indian Region", Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.OnlineOnline
*aut|Beccaloni, G. W., aut|Scoble, M. J., aut|Robinson, G. S. & aut|Pitkin, B. (Editors). 2003. The Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex). World Wide Web electronic publication. [http://www.nhm.ac.uk/entomology/lepindex] (accessed 26 September 2007).
*aut|Savela, Marrku Website on Lepidoptera [http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/index.html] (accessed 26 September 2007)

ee also

*Lycaenidae
*List of butterflies of India
*List of butterflies of India (Lycaenidae)