Indian Cupid

Indian Cupid

Everes lacturnus syntala Cantlie LYCAENIDAE

( = Everes parrhasius ( Fabricius ))

adult upperside male deep violet blue with a brown / black outer marginal band in both wings. HW with broad, black costal margin and a marginal row of white bordered black spots, the 2 middle spots with orange inner border and white tipped black tail. Underside grayish white with white edged markings. FW with a prominent lunular mark at the end of the cell and a discal row of 6 lunular marks. HW with 3 sub-basal black spots, an apical spot, a brown central lunule an a discal row of lunules. Both wings with a terminal brown line enclosing 2 large sub anal black spots having orange inner margin. Female paler and whiter than male on the underside wingspan 22-28mm.

A butterfly of jungles or hill country, but distributed both in plains and on the foot hills. Abundant at low elevations in south India but found up to 2000 m in the Himalayas and Sri Lanka. Male visits damp patches

Larva

Pale green with dark dorsal stripe, lateral streaks and light brown and white spots.

Feeds mainly on plants of Fabaceae.

Distribution.

India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.