Parrhasius Small Cupid

Chilades parrhasius parrhasius (Fabricius, 1793) — Parrhasius Small Cupi

 

Malayalam Name     

:

കുഞ്ഞി മാരൻ

Common Name

:

Parrhasius Small Cupid

Order 

:

Lepidoptera

Super Family            

:

Papilionoidae (Butterflies)

Family              

: 

Lycaenidae

Sub Family

:

Polyommatinae

Synonims

:

Hesperia parrhasius

DISTRIBUTION

Species found in Indo-Malayan Realm. The sub species syntala distributed in Peninsular India.

STATUS: 

HABITAT

HABITS

IDENTIFICATION  FEATURES

Small Blue butterfly with wingspan about 20-25 mm.

Male: 

Upperside dark greyish-blue, with a lilacine tint. Hindwing with the costal margin broadly blackish; the outer margin with a narrow black band, the upper portion composed of a series of spots joined together, inwardly pale-edged, and often with black marks running shortly up the veins, two large jet black spots in interspaces 2 and 3, and two minute black spots at the anal angle, all capped more or less with orange. Tails black tipped with white. Cilia of forewing grey, of hindwing white with black points at the vein ends.

Underside greyish-white, all the markings white-edged. Forewing with a lunular mark at the end of the cell, a discal row of six lunular marks in line, the upper one a little inwards. Hindwing with three sub-basal small black spots, the middle one well inwards, and another similar spot, sub-apical close to the costa; a slender mark at the end of the cell, and a discal row of six lunular marks, the upper one inwards, just below the sub-apical black spot, the lowest mark also well inwards, the others in a gentle outward curve; the discal row on both wings well separated from the marginal series; both wings with a terminal brownish line and sub-terminal series of marks, lunular in the hindwings and between them a row of brownish spots, the two spots in interspaces 2 and 3, and sometimes another in interspace 4 black and large with some metallic specks and capped with obscure orange. Antennae black, ringed with white, head and body blackish above, with blue pubescence, white beneath.

Female:  

Upperside paler than the male, the blackish bands on both wings much broader; blackish lunular line generally present at the end of the cell on both wings. Underside more white than the male, the discal series similarly well separated from the marginal series in both wings, the lunular marks composing them darker and more prominent.

SIMILAR SPECIES:

LARVAL HOST PLANTS

Acacia spp., A. nilotica, Dichrostachys cinerea (Fabaceae).

LIFE CYCLE

MORE  IMAGES

 

Male

Female




 Courtesy 
Write up:Wikipaedia
Images: TNHS

കേരള വനം വന്യജീവി വകുപ്പ്  
മാങ്കുളം ഡിവിഷൻ


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