Cyaniris albidisca

Cyaniris albidisca
Whitedisc Hedge Blue
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Cyaniris
Species: C. albidisca
Binomial name
Cyaniris albidisca
Moore, 1883

The Whitedisc Hedge Blue (Cyaniris albidisca)[1] is a small butterfly found in India[2] that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues family.

Contents

Taxonomy

The butterfly was earlier known as Lycaenopsis albidisca Moore[2].

Description

Very closely allied to Cyaniris puspa, from which it differs as follows: Male Upperside: dull indigo-blue, not so dark as puspa when looked at from above vertically and with much less refulgent iridescence in an oblique light; the white on both fore and hind wings much more clearly defined,never diffuse and apparently prcsont at all seasons; on the fore wing the white is limited to the basal portions of interspaces 2 and 3 and does not extend into the cell or above vein 4; on the hind wing it occupies the basal half of interspace 6 and is strictly bounded by vein 7 above and vein 6 below. The terminal margins of both fore and hind wings with much narrower black edgings than in C. puspa. Underside: differs from that of puspa in the markings, which are smaller and much more delicate; on the fore wing the transverse postdiscal series of abbreviated line-like markings is bisinuate, placed further towards the terminal margin and has the component spots somewhat differently arranged; on the hind wing also the spots on the disc posteriorly are more regular than in puspa.

Female: Upperside ground-colour and white on disc of wings almost as in puspa, but always both in fore and hind wings more limited, the black costal and terminal margins consequently broader. Underside: the markings as in the male, and therefore differ in a similar manner from those of C. puspa female. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen in both sexes as in C. puspa.[3]

Range

It is found in South India[2].

Cited references

  1. ^ Card for albidisca in LepIndex. Accessed 14 October 2006.
  2. ^ a b c Evans,W.H.(1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies, ser no H21.10, pp 221-226
  3. ^ Bingham, C. T. (1907) Fauna of British India. Butterflies. Volume 2.

See also

References

  • Beccaloni, G. W., Scoble, M. J., Robinson, G. S. & Pitkin, B. (Editors). 2003. The Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex). World Wide Web electronic publication. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/entomology/lepindex [accessed 14 October 2006].
  • Evans, W.H. (1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies. (2nd Ed), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India