Surendra vivarna

Acacia blue
Surendra vivarna, North Sulawesi, Alan Cassidy photo
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Surendra
Species: S. vivarnana
Binomial name
Surendra vivarna
(Horsfield, 1829)
Synonyms
  • Amblypodia vivarna Horsfield, [1829]
  • Amblypodia amisena Hewitson, 1862
Wikispecies has information related to: Surendra vivarna

The Acacia Blue, Surendra vivarna is a species of lycaenid or Hairstreak butterfly found in Sri Lanka, India and the Indonesian Islands as far as Sulawesi.[1]

Range

As for the genus Surendra, except not recorded from China, or on Philippines proper (where it is replaced by S. maniliana), but from Balabac, Palawan and the Calamian Group.[2]

Description

In the male, the wings above are deep shining purplish blue, with a black apical border on the forewing, and on the hindwing both the costal and inner margins are broadly black bordered. In Sulawesi, the female is plain brown, with thread-like borders on both wings, while from Borneo westwards the female is a steely blue on the upperside, with diffuse darker borders. The underside is brown, with a series of white-edged dark striae, see pictures.

Sub-Species

The sub-specific name amisena Hewitson, 1862, is used for specimens from South Burma, Thailand, Malaya, and Sumatra,[3] while palowna Staudinger, 1889, is used in Borneo[4] and samina Fruhstorfer, 1904, in Sulawesi.[2] Other subspecies are agdistis Fruhstorfer from Nias, biplagiata Butler from southern India, latimargo Moore from the Andamans and discalis Moore from Sri Lanka.

Foodplants

Fabaceae (Acacia, Albizia, Paraserianthes); facultatively attended by various ants.

Cited references

  1. Eliot J.N., in The Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula, 4th Edition.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Vane-Wright R.I. & de Jong R. 2003. The Butterflies of Sulawesi.
  3. Pinratana A. Butterflies in Thailand, Volume 4, 1981.
  4. Seki Y. Butterflies of Borneo, Volume 2, No. 1, 1991.

See also