Malayan

Malayan

Megisba malaya ( Horsfield) LYCAENIDAE

Adult upperside dark brown with a defined white discal patch, very prominent in female. HW with a slender tail, very often absent. Underside dull white. FW with brown costal spots, discal markings and marginal spots. HW with a large round black costal spot and 4 basal spots. In some, FW with 4 small spots on costa, and one spot in the cell. Wingspan 23-30mm.

Occurs in 2 races: thwaitesi ( tailless, occurring in South India to Bengal, Assam and Myanmar). Widely distributed at low elevations in the wetter forest regions. FW in female broader and more rounded than in male. Seasonal variations more apparent during wet season with the white patches disappearing. With weak flight, flies close to the ground in and out among low-growing vegetation and at the edges of evergreen jungles. Male fond of settling on damp sand, wet roads, animal dung and bird droppings.

Larva

Pale green with swollen middle segments. Feeds on Allophylus cobbe.

Distribution

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