The sexes are indistinguishable in flight. The small
scent patch on vein 2 on the underside of the hind wing
distinguishes the male. Though not readily discernable
in flight, the males also have narrower forewing apices.
The upper side are a dull black with pale greenish blue
markings. The markings are large and streaky towards the
base but progressively shorter and narrower towards the
outer margins.
On the under side, the ground colour is dull dark brown
and its markings correspond to those on the upper side.
The color of the markings on the forewing are pale
greenish blue. Those on the hind wing are light gray.
These contrasting colors distinguishes it from all other
blue coloured tigers.
Similar species
Blue Tiger, Glassy Tiger, Dark Blue Tiger, Female Dark
Wanderer and Common Mime.
Strictly a butterfly of the wet zone below 1500 feet
elevation. It is restricted to a narrow strip of land on
the south-west coast. Its range extends not more than 30
miles inland, but is most commonly found within five to
ten miles of the coast. It is commonly seen at the
Sinharajah forest reserve.
I once observed a female oviposting on a vine that had
milky sap. I was unable to identify the plant but
suspect that it was a member of the Apocyanaceae. |
