Rapala manea

Rapala manea
R. m. schistacea from Kerala, India
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Rapala
Species:	R. manea
Binomial name
Rapala manea (Hewitson, [1863])[1]
Synonyms
Deudorix manea Hewitson, 1863 Deudorix chozeba Hewitson, 1863

Rapala manea is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in most of the Oriental ecozone (excluding Taiwan).

The wingspan is 24-26 mm.^[2] Adult males have dark brown wings with a hint of purple on the cell area of the wings. The underside is greyish brown with two irregular bands. Females are lighter and have androconial patches at the costal margin of the hindwing.

Upper wings of a female R. m. schistacea (Bangalore)

The larvae of ssp. schistacea feed on the flowers of Rosaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Combretaceae and Leguminosae species, including Quisqualis indica and Acacia caesia. They are attended by ants. The larvae are dull rose red. Pupation takes place in a pinkish pupa, mottled with black. It is attached to the stem or a leaf of the host plant.

Subspecies

• Rapala manea manea (Sulawesi)
• Rapala manea schistacea (Moore, 1879) (India to northern Thailand, Sri Lanka, southern Yunnan, possibly the Andamans)
• Rapala manea chozeba (Hewitson, 1863) (southern Thailand to Singapore, Sumatra, possibly Borneo)
• Rapala manea asikana Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Java, possibly Bali)
• Rapala manea enganica Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Enggano)
• Rapala manea lombokiana Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Lombok)
• Rapala manea baweanica Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Bawean)
• Rapala manea philippinensis Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Philippines (Luzon, Mindanao, Palawan))

References

1. Rapala, Site of Markku Savela
2. Butterflies of Sri Lanka