Poritia hewitsoni
| Common gem | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Poritia hewitsoni Male left, female right. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Poritia |
| Species: | P. hewitsoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Poritia hewitsoni (Moore, 1865) | |
Poritia hewitsoni, the common gem, is a small butterfly found in India, Myanmar,[1] Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam[2] that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues family.
Range
It ranges along the Himalayas from Kumaon to Assam in India and onto Myanmar.[1] Recorded from Mangan and Rangpo in Sikkim.[3][4]
Description
A small butterfly, 31 to 38 mm wingspan. Male - Upper dark iridescent blue, usually with sub-marginal and apical spots. The cell on UPF is entirely devoid of blue or with a minute blue spot at the base in some cases. Males also have a tufted brand on the upper HW above vein 7. The underside is brown with variable pale lineation. Females - Brown above, with a few blue spots. The upper forewing has a yellow discal patch above blue area.[3][4]
Taxonomy
The butterfly has five subspecies in South Asia:[1]-
- P. hewitsoni hewitsoni Moore, 1865 - Kumaon to Assam and Not Rare as per Evans.[1] Sikkim to North Myanmar and North Thailand.[2]
- P. hewitsoni tavoyana Doherty 1889 - Myanmar. Not Rare.[1] Manipur, S.Burma, Thailand - Peninsular Malaya.[2]
- P. hewitsoni taleva Corbet, 1940 - Penminsular Malaya.[2]
- P. hewitsoni ampsaga Fruhstorfer, 1912 - Vietnam.[2]
Habits
The common gem is a butterfly found flying high in the lowland jungles. The males tend to fly rapidly and settle on leaves.[3] Occurs in Sikkim in October and November. The tufted brand on the male hind-wing has a discernible, distinct odour.[4]
Life History
- Egg - Truncate, half as long as wide. With two vertical and sloping and two horizontal faces.[3]
Cited references
- 1 2 3 4 5 Evans,W.H.(1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies, ser no H2.5, pg 208.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Page on Marrku Savela's site for genus Poritia (Lycaenidae).
- 1 2 3 4 Haribal, Meena. (1994) The Butterflies of Sikkim, ser no 106, pp 91-92, Plate 25 (images of male & female).
- 1 2 3 Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, pg 252.
See also
References
- Evans, W.H. (1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies. 2nd Ed, (i to x, pp454, 9 figs, Plates I to XXXII), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.
- Haribal, Meena. (1992) Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and their Natural History (pp 217). Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation.
- Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.Online
Online
- Beccaloni, G. W., Scoble, M. J., Robinson, G. S. & Pitkin, B. (Editors). 2003. The Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex). World Wide Web electronic publication. (accessed 26 September 2007).
- Savela, Marrku Website on Lepidoptera (accessed 26 September 2007)
External links
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