Poritia phalena explained

Poritia phalena, the broad-banded brilliant, is a small butterfly found in India^[1] and South-East Asia^[2] that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by William Chapman Hewitson in 1874.

Range

It occurs in South Asia from Assam in India to southern Myanmar.^{[1] [3]} As per Markku Savela, the butterfly ranges from Assam, Myanmar, Peninsular Malaya, Java, Nias, Borneo and Thailand.^[2]

Status

Very rare.^{[1] [3]}

Description

It is a small butterfly with a 28 to 34 mm wingspan. The male is black above with brilliant greenish-blue streaks and spots, while the female is dark brown above with a white circular spot in the discal region of the forewing. Below, there are no bands of linked spots.^[3]

Taxonomy

The butterfly was earlier^[1] and continues^[2] to be classified by some authorities as Simiskina phalena (Hewitson, 1874).The subspecies that occur in South Asia are:^[1]

• P. p. harterti Doherty 1889 – Assam to southern Myanmar, very rare^[1]
• P. p. hayashii (Schröder & Treadaway, 1979)
• P. p. howarthi (H. Hayashi, 1976)
• P. p. ilagana Osada & Hashimoto, [1987]
• P. p. javanica Fruhstorfer – Java^[2]
• P. p. niasina Fruhstorfer – Nias^[2]

See also

• List of butterflies of India
• List of butterflies of India (Lycaenidae)

References

• Book: Haribal, Meena . The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and Their Natural History . Gangtok, Sikkim, India . Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation . 1992.

External links

• Web site: Takanami . Yusuke . Seki . Yasuo . amp . 2001 . Genus Simiskina . A Synonymic List of Lycaenidae from the Philippines . https://web.archive.org/web/20010708054450/http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~EY4Y-TKNM/Poritiinae-Phil/Simiskina.html . 8 July 2001 . Internet Archive. With images.

Notes and References

1. Book: Evans . William Harry Evans

   . W. H. . William Harry Evans . The Identification of Indian Butterflies . 2nd . Mumbai, India . . 1932 . 209, ser no H3.1.

2. Web site: Savela . Markku . 26 August 2016 . Simiskina phalena (Hewitson, 1874) . Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms . 14 January 2020.
3. Book: Wynter-Blyth, Mark Alexander . Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth

   . Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth . Butterflies of the Indian Region . 1957 . Bombay, India . . 978-8170192329 . 253.