Biology:Hypolycaena erylus

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Short description: Species of butterfly

Common tit
AB103 Hypolycaena erylus.JPG
Common tit (Hypolycaena erylus teatus) underside Phi Phi.jpg
H. e. teatus, Thailand
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Hypolycaena
Species:
H. erylus
Binomial name
Hypolycaena erylus
(Godart, 1823)
Subspecies

Many, see text

Synonyms
  • Polyommatus erylus Godart, [1824]
  • Hypolycaena teatus Fruhstorfer, 1912

Hypolycaena erylus, the common tit,[1][2] is a small but striking butterfly found in India and South-East Asia[3][4] that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by Jean-Baptiste Godart in 1823.

Range

Bangladesh, Nepal, Sikkim, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, southern Yunnan, Java, Lombok, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Andamans, Nias, Sulawesi, Philippines , Sula, Bachan, Halmahera, Obi, Bismarck Archipelago and Waigeu.[1]

Status

Common.[3][4] Not rare as per Haribal.[5]

Description

The underside of both sexes is pale greyish brown. The underside hindwing does not have a spot in the basal area of 7. The butterfly has two tails – a 6 mm long one at V1 and a 5 mm long tail at V2. The markings include:[5]

  • a double bar at end-cell
  • a regular discal line on the forewing
  • a broken, less regular line on the hindwing

The male butterfly is pale blue to dark brown above, dark shining purple depending on the light. It has a black border with the upper forewing having a large black discal area of modified scales.[5]

The female butterfly is dark brown and its hindwing has a white disconnected discal band above the tornus. The butterfly also has a white-edged tornal black spot in 2.[5]

Subspecies

The butterfly has a number of subspecies of which one, H. e. himavantus (Fruhstorfer), is found in mainland India while another H. e. andamana Moore is found in the Andamans.[5] All subspecies are:

  • H. e. erylus (Java)
  • H. e. pupienus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Lombok)
  • H. e. teatus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaya, Sumatra, Borneo)
  • H. e. himavantus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Nepal, Sikkim to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, southern Yunnan)
  • H. e. andamana Moore, 1877 (Andamans)
  • H. e. syphax Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Nias)
  • H. e. gamatius Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Sulawesi) (= H. e. pigres Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Obi))
  • H. e. tmolus C. Felder & R. Felder, 1862 (Philippines)
  • H. e. orsiphantus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Philippines: Basilan)
  • H. e. aimnestus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Palawan)
  • H. e. georgius Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Sula)
  • H. e. thyrius Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Bachan, Halmahera)
  • H. e. moutoni Ribbe
  • H. e. figulus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Waigeu)
  • H. e. erna Kalis, 1933 (Bismarck Archipelago)

Habits

The butterfly is abundant at low elevations. Males are known to cluster at damp patches while the females are rarely seen.[5]

Food plants

Recorded on Meyna pubescens in India.[5]

Gallery

See also

Cited references

  1. 1.0 1.1 Savela, Markku (18 December 2018). "Hypolycaena erylus (Godart, [1824)"]. https://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/lycaenidae/theclinae/hypolycaena/#erylus. 
  2. Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I. et al., eds (2003). "Hypolycaena erylus". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/lepindex/detail/?taxonno=196616. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Evans, W. H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 294, ser no H80.3. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Wynter-Blyth, Mark Alexander (1957). Butterflies of the Indian Region. Bombay, India: Bombay Natural History Society. pp. 253–254. ISBN 978-8170192329. https://books.google.com/books?id=yEkgAQAAMAAJ. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Haribal, Meena (1992). The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and Their Natural History. Gangtok, Sikkim, India: Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation. p. 107. 

References

Wikidata ☰ Q5959784 entry