Project butterfly Mankulam Division

  Abaratha alida vespa   (Evans, 1949) Mal ayalam Name : പുള്ളി പരപ്പൻ Order : Lepidopte ra Family : Hesperiidae Sub-family : Pyrginae Sub species : Abaratha alida vespa common names : Dakhan Alida Angle DISTRIBUTION : Species distributed in Africa and Asia. STATUS: HABITAT: . HABITS IDENTIFICATION FEATURES Male. Upper.side ochreous-brown. Forewing with five sub-apical white spots, the three from near the costa in an outwardly oblique straight line, the two lower ones minute, sometimes absent; a small round dot within the cell before its middle, a spot within the outer end, highly excavated on its outer side, its upper half merely a short curved streak, a round spot in the middle of the first median interspace, a round dot outside towards the base of the second median interspace, a minute dot immediately below the lower spot and a small round spot inwardly below it, both in the interno-median interspace, a very minute dot close to the costa at its middle, all the spots and d...

  Sarangesa purendra pandra   Evans, 1949 Mal ayalam Name : പാറപ്പരപ്പൻ Order : Lepidopte ra Family : Hesperiidae Sub-family : Pyrginae Sub species : Sarangesa dasahara davidsoni  common names : Hill Spotted Small Flat DISTRIBUTION India STATUS: HABITAT:  .  The spotted small flat ( Sarangesa purendra ), though, is more common in the arid regions. It occurs in openings and edges in both the evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, deciduous forests, and scrub & short grassland savannahs. It is found in the Deccan plains and also in the hills, but more frequently found at lower elevations. Except for the very dry north-west India, it occurs commonly throughout the country, in Sri Lanka and in the Indo-Chinese region HABITS IDENTIFICATION  FEATURES Upperside greyer than in S. dasahara, with paler mottled markings: fore wing with a semidiaphanous white continuous streak across the cell near its end, a continuous small spot above it, three small conjoined spo...

  Ancema blanka sudica   (de Nicéville, 1894) Malayalam Name : രജത നീലാംമ്പരി Order : Lepidopte ra Family : Lycaenidae Sub-family : Aphnaeinae Sub species : Ancema blanka sudica common names : Sahyadri Silver Royal DISTRIBUTION            Indo-malayan Realm. The subspecies sudica found in South India STATUS: Very Rare HABITAT:  HABITS IDENTIFICATION  FEATURES Wing Span: 30-42 mm. . SIMILAR SPECIES  LARVAL HOST PLANTS LIFE CYCLE MORE IMAGES Courtesy  Write up:Wikipaedia Images: TNHS & iFoundbutterfly.org കേരള വനം വന്യജീവി വകുപ്പ്   മാങ്കുളം ഡിവിഷൻ

  Cigaritis meghamalaiensis (Sadasivan and Naicker, 2023) Malayalam Name : മേഘമല വെള്ളിവരയൻ Order : Lepidopte ra Family : Lycaenidae Sub-family : Aphnaeinae Sub species : No subspecies common names : Meghamalai Silverline DISTRIBUTION Western Ghats             STATUS: Recently discovered species. C. meghamalaiensis  has been described from the  Meghamalai  hills, in the southern part of the  Western Ghats . It is found to be common in the Meghamalai of Tamil Nadu and in the nearby  Periyar Tiger Reserve  of Kerala HABITAT:  Cloud forests of WG HABITS IDENTIFICATION  FEATURES Wing Span: 30-42 mm. Cigaritis meghamalaiensis  is distinguished from other species of the genus in peninsular South Asia, having the discal and postdiscal bands on the underside of the forewing being conjoined and parallel. It is also characterized by a continuous post-basal band on the underside of the hindwing, w...

Cigaritis lilacinus (Moore, 1884)  Malayalam Name : ലൈലാക് വെള്ളിവരയൻ Order : Lepidopte ra Family : Lycaenidae Sub-family : Aphnaeinae Sub species : No subspecies common names : Lilac Silverline DISTRIBUTION            Asia STATUS: Not rare HABITAT:  HABITS IDENTIFICATION  FEATURES Wing Span: 30-42 mm. Upperside brown. Forewing with the basal and discal areas blue, somewhat iridescent blue in certain lights. Hindwing with the basal and inner space similarly blue, an orange-ochreous anal patch, a small black spot in the anal lobe, sometimes another on the margin in the next interspace; tails black, tipped with white, the orange-ochreous colour running half way up them; both wings with the outer marginal line blackish-brown. Cilia white. Underside pale brownish-ochreous, bands slightly darker than the ground colour, finely edged with black, with silvery scales down their middle. Forewing with a small sub-basal round ringed ...