Bright Babul Blue

Bright Babul Blue

Azanus ubaldus Cramer LYCAENIDAE

Adult upperside bright lilac-blue or bluish purple with broad brown borders. FW with a prominent dark discal patch of specialized scales. HW with 2 black subterminal spots. Underside grayish brown. FW with white edged pale brown markings. HW with white edged black spots ( 3 sub –basal, 1 costal and 2 subterminal ). Wingspan 24-28mm.

An Afro-tropical butterfly occurring in the drier parts of India.

A well known migrant with fast flight. Fond of Acacia flowers. Often seen resting on the ground especially if covered with fallen flowers of Acacia. Male visits damp patches and seen basking early in the morning.

Larva

Light green with black head. Body with dorsally humped segments and lateral yellow lines. Humped portion yellow with a small reddish brown triangle at the base.

Feeds on Catechu, Babul Acacia, Gum-Arabic Acacia, Acacia leucocephala, etc

Distribution

India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Arabia, Aden and Africa.