Arhopala silhetensis, the Sylhet oakblue, (sometimes placed in Amblypodia)[1] is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by William Chapman Hewitson in 1862.
| Sylhet oakblue | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Arhopala |
| Species: | A. silhetensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Arhopala silhetensis (Hewitson, 1862)
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| Synonyms | |
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Description edit
Male forewing 25 mm., bright shining blue, border 1 mm.Female lighter blue, border 4 mm. Below somewhat ochreous brown, no purple wash. Above very similar to Arhopala malayica [now subspecies upper surface lilac-blue colour margined with black, the under-surface exhibits all the spots dark and distinct.The female has a broad black costal margin and distal margin], but easily discernible by the reduction of the marking beneath, where the spots in the forewing are almost obsolete and the submarginal band is only represented by a nebulous stripe]. The female is not unlike that of Arhopala eumolphus, but easily distinguishable by the blue colouring above and the less lustrous under surface. [2] [3]
Subspecies edit
- A. s. silhetensis Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Burma, Mergui, Thailand, ?Indo China
- A. s. adorea ‘de Nicéville, 1890 Peninsular Malaya, Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo
- A. s. fundania Fruhstorfer, 1914 Java
- A. s. malayica Bethune-Baker, 1903 Philippines, Java?
- A. s. philippina (Hayashi, 1981)Philippines (Mindanao)
Range in India edit
The butterfly occurs in India from Sikkim onto north Myanmar, and, from Karens to south Myanmar. [4]
Status edit
The species is considered rare.[4]
See also edit
Cited references edit
- ^ Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Amblypodia silhetensis". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum.
- ^ Seitz , A. Band 9: Abt. 2, Die exotischen Großschmetterlinge, Die indo-australischen Tagfalter, 1927, 1197 Seiten 177 Tafeln
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ D'Abrera, B. 1986. Butterflies of the Oriental Region, Part III Lycaenidae & Riodinidae: pp. 536–672. Hill House, Melbourne.
- ^ a b Evans, W. H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 260, ser no H49.21.
References edit
- 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.
- Haribal, Meena (1992). The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and Their Natural History. Gangtok, Sikkim, India: Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation.
- Wynter-Blyth, Mark Alexander (1957). Butterflies of the Indian Region. Bombay, India: Bombay Natural History Society. ISBN 978-8170192329.
External links edit
- Takanami, Yusuke & Seki, Yasuo (2001). "Genus Arhopala (Plate C)". A Synonymic List of Lycaenidae from the Philippines. Archived from the original on October 6, 2001 – via Internet Archive. With images.
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