Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka

T
LC
Lime Blue Chilades lajus
Plum Judy Abisara echerius
S
LC
Lycaenidae
Female
Dry season form
It has no tails. The male is shiny blue up to the margins without any borders and
patches on the upper side. In the female, the blue areas are only limited to the
basal parts and is absent in some individuals. The hind wing has a sub-marginal row
of white rings. The ring at the tornus is enlarged and surrounds a black spot. The
underside is whitish brown and looks similar in both sexes. It has two sub-marginal
rows of crescent-shaped markings on both wings. The black tornal spot is not capped
in orange, as in the similar looking Cupids and has two other small black spots at the
anal angle. Both wings have distal bands of golden brown patches outlined in white
on either side. It has circular black spots ringed in white near the upper margin and
around the base of hind wing. The dry season form has a cloud of dark brown scales
in the distal area of the hind wing.
This active butterfly usually flies around herbs and scrubs but occasionally goes much
higher. It feed on flowers. When it perches or basks on a leaf, it always comes to an
edge to have a better view of its surroundings. It is a migratory species.
It inhabits thin vegetation such as scrublands and gardens and avoids dense forests.
The hind wing is abruptly angled at the middle of the outer margin. The male is rusty
brown with a brilliant sheen of metallic purple on the upper surface. It has two parallel,
fairly indistinct lighter bands on the forewing. The inner band continues in the hind
wing. The hind wing has two separate pairs of black spots at the sub-margin with
an indistinct row of lunules. Females never have the purple sheen and the pattern is
similar to that of the males but is more pronounced. The underside looks similar in
both sexes. It is rusty brown with pronounced markings that resemble those on the
upper side. Its black spots appear to have a dark blue metallic sheen at a certain angle.
Their eye colour varies from golden yellow to bluish green.
Its appearance is unique as it never closes its wings or spreads them flat, and always
keeps them partially opened. It does a dance like movement on the leaves while
feeding. It appears to leap when it flies from one leaf to another. It never flies more
than a few feet away when it is disturbed, but is never easy to approach.
It prefers the dark undergrowth of rain forests and its distribution extends to the
intermediate zone with forest cover. Occasionally, it is found in the dry zone.
Male
Riodinidae
LFPs: Limonia acidissima (Èjq,a), Citrus aurantifolia (foys), Atalantia ceylanica (hls kdrx)
LFPs: Embelia ribes (je,a weô,a,), Embelia tsjeriam-cottam (j,.id,a).
124 Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka
Common Butterflies of Sri Lanka 125