Lilac Silverline

Cigaritis lilacinus (Moore, 1884) 


Malayalam Name

:

ലൈലാക് വെള്ളിവരയൻ

Order

:

Lepidoptera

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 spot in the cell, an oval lajger spot in the middle and another at the end, the last joined on its lower side to a curiously shaped larger spot, of a jagged spear-sliape with a small nodule attached to its lower end, then four round ringed spots near the costa in an irregular triangular form, the outer two the larger, a sub-marginal chain-like macular band from near the costa, broadening gradually hindwards to vein 2, with a black suffused continuation to near the hinder margin, a line of black lunules close to the margin which has a blackish line. Hindwing with three sub-basal ringed spots in a line, well separated from each other, a medial nearly straight band of four conjoined longish and squarish spots, and a discal band of three similar spots, the sub-marginal band and marginal markings as in the forewing, but narrower and not so well pronounced.

SIMILAR SPECIES 

LARVAL HOST PLANTS

Feed on species of Terminalia  (Combretaceae). Cassia fistula, Entada scandens (Fabaceae).

LIFE CYCLE

MORE IMAGES

MALE
FEMALE

MALE WET SEASON FORM

FEMALE WET SEASON FORM

FEMALE DRY SEASON FORM
MALE DRY SEASON FORM

FEMALE DRY SEASON FORM


MALE DRY SEASON FORM
Courtesy 

Write up:Wikipaedia
Images: TNHS & iFoundbutterfly.org

കേരള വനം വന്യജീവി വകുപ്പ്  
മാങ്കുളം ഡിവിഷൻ


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