Hypolycaena erylus
| Common Tit | |
|---|---|
 | |
%2C_Cambodia.jpg) | |
| Underside, Cambodia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| 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 | |
| |
The Common Tit (Hypolycaena erylus)[1][2] is a small but striking butterfly found in India and Southeast Asia[3][4] that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues family.
Range
Bangladesh, Nepal, Sikkim - Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, South 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]
Underside
Upperside
Upperside left,underside right.From Seitz
Subspecies
The butterfly has a number of subspecies of which one, Hypolycaena erylus himavantus (Fruhstorfer), is found in mainland India while another H. erylus andamana Moore is found in the Andamans.[5] All subspecies are:
- Hypolycaena erylus erylus (Java)
- Hypolycaena erylus pupienus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Lombok)
- Hypolycaena erylus teatus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaya, Sumatra, Borneo)
- Hypolycaena erylus himavantus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Nepal, Sikkim to Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, southern Yunnan)
- Hypolycaena erylus andamana Moore, 1877 (Andamans)
- Hypolycaena erylus syphax Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Nias)
- Hypolycaena erylus gamatius Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Sulawesi) (= Hypolycaena erylus pigres Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Obi))
- Hypolycaena erylus tmolus C. & R. Felder, 1862 (Philippines)
- Hypolycaena erylus orsiphantus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Philippines: Basilan)
- Hypolycaena erylus aimnestus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Palawan)
- Hypolycaena erylus georgius Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Sula)
- Hypolycaena erylus thyrius Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Bachan, Halmahera)
- Hypolycaena erylus moutoni Ribbe
- Hypolycaena erylus figulus Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Waigeu)
- Hypolycaena erylus 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]
Lifehistory
Recorded on Meyna pubescens in India.[5]
Gallery
ssp. gamatius male
ssp. gamatius female
ssp. thyrius male
ssp. thyrius female
unknown ssp. male
unknown ssp. female
other unknown ssp. female
See also
Cited references
- 1 2 Page on Markku Savela's site for genus Hypolycaena (Lycaenidae).
- ↑ Card for species erylus in LepIndex. Accessed 5 December 2006.
- 1 2 Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 294, ser no H80.3.
- 1 2 Wynter-Blyth, Mark Alexander (1957). Butterflies of the Indian Region. Bombay, India: Bombay Natural History Society. pp. 253–254. ISBN 978-8170192329.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Haribal, Meena (1992). The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and Their Natural History. Gangtok, Sikkim, India: Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation. p. 107.
References
- Beccaloni, George; Scoble, Malcolm; Kitching, Ian; Simonsen, Thomas; Robinson, Gaden; Pitkin, Brian; Hine, Adrian; Lyal, Chris. "The Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex)". Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
- Bingham, C.T. (1907). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. II (1st ed.). London: Taylor and Francis, Ltd.
- Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society.
- Haribal, Meena (1992). The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and Their Natural History. Gangtok, Sikkim, India: Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation.
- "Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera".
- Wynter-Blyth, Mark Alexander (1957). Butterflies of the Indian Region. Bombay, India: Bombay Natural History Society. ISBN 978-8170192329.
External links
- Asahinet Photographs of correctly determined specimens of Hypolycaena erylus from the Philippines