Arhopala alesia

Arhopala alesia, the pallid oakblue, (sometimes in Amblypodia) is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.

Description

The forewing length is about 18mm.Beneath quite similar to oberthuri, but with a long tail on the hindwing. The female is above light greenish-blue.

Subspecies

At least 5 subspecies are listed:

• A. a. alesia
• A. a. wimberleyi <small>(de Nicéville, 1887)</small>
• A. a. sacharja <small>Fruhstorfer, 1914</small>
• A. a. mio <small>(Hayashi, 1981)</small>
• A. a. soloni <small>M. & T. Okano, 1995</small>

Range

The butterfly occurs in India in the Andamans and from Dawnas to southern Myanmar.

The nominotypical subspecies is distributed on Bohol, Luzon, Marinduque, Mindoro, Mindanao & Tawitawi Islands. The subspecies soloni is on Leyte Island. The subspecies mio is found on Negros Island.

Status

William Harry Evans described the species as rare in 1932.

See also

• List of butterflies of India (Lycaenidae)

Cited references

References

• Treadaway, Colin G., 1955: "Checklist of the butterflies of the Philippine Islands". Nachrichten des Entomologischen Vereins Apollo, Suppl. 14: 7–118.
• Treadaway, Colin G. & Schrőder, Heinz G., 2012: "Revised checklist of the butterflies of the Philippine Islands (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera)". Nachrichten des Entomologischen Vereins Apollo, Suppl. 20: 1-64.