Pseudophilotes vicrama

Taxobox
name = Chequered Blue


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regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Lepidoptera
superfamilia = Papilionoidea
familia = Lycaenidae
genus = "Pseudophilotes"
species = "P. vicrama"
binomial = "Pseudophilotes vicrama"
binomial_authority = (Moore 1865)

The Chequered Blue ("Pseudophilotes vicrama") [http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/research-curation/projects/lepindex/detail.dsml?TaxonNo=206317.0&UserID=&UserName=&&listPageURL=list%2edsml%3fSCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon%5fcardqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26sort%3dSCIENTIFIC%255fNAME%255fon%255fcard%26SCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon%5fcard%3dvicrama%26recLimit%3d30&searchPageURL=index%2edsml%3fsort%3dSCIENTIFIC%255fNAME%255fon%255fcard%26SCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon%5fcardqtype%3dstarts%2bwith%26SCIENTIFIC%5fNAME%5fon%5fcard%3dvicrama%26recLimit%3d30 Card for species "vicrama" in LepIndex. Accessed 14 October 2006.] ] is a small butterfly found in AsiaEvans,W.H.(1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies, ser no H22.2, pg 225.] [http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/lycaenidae/polyommatinae/pseudophilotes/index.html Page on Marrku Savela's site for genus Pseudophilotes (Lycaenidae).] ] that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues family.

Taxonomy

The butterfly was earlier known as "Polyommatus vicrama" (Staudinger).

Range

It is found in South Asia from Baluchistan, Chitral (Pakistan), Jammu and Kashmir to Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh state of India..

Wynter-Blyth records the Chequered Blue as Not Rare locally and occurring in Baluchistan and from Chitral to Shipki La.Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, pg 281.]

As per Savela, the butterfly is found in the Pamirs - Alai, Ghissar - Darvaz, Tian-Shan, North West India, South East Europe, Asia Minor, Caucasus, Transcaucasia, West Siberia, Altai, Turan and Kopet-Dagh.

Description

The Chequered Blue is 20 to 26mm in size. The male butterfly is pale dusky-blue in colour with a broad border while the female is brown. The butterfly is named for its prominent chequered fringe.

Cited references

ee also

*List of butterflies of India (Lycaenidae)

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.
* Marrku Savela's Website on Lepidoptera [http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/index.html] .
* Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.