Dacalana cotys

White-banded royal
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Dacalana
Species:
D. cotys
Binomial name
Dacalana cotys
(Hewitson, 1865)

Dacalana cotys, the white-banded royal [1] is a species of blue butterfly (Lycaenidae) found in South East Asia.

Range

The butterfly occurs in India from Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh.[2] eastwards and across to northern Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar.[2] and Thailand.[1][3]

Taxonomy

The butterfly was previously classified as Pratapa cotys,[3] Ancema cotys[4] and Camana cotys.[5]

Status

Not common as per Wynter-Blyth.[6] Not rare as per Evans.[3]

Dacalana cotys Courvoisier Collection, Basel

Description

For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

The butterfly has a wingspan of 33 to 37 mm.

The upperside of the male is a bright azure blue with a black border at the apex ranging from 0.5 to 5 mm at the apex. On the hindwing is a mid-costal white patch. The male has a brand on the upperside of the forewing. The female is paler with a prominent white patch at the end cell of the forewing.

On the underside, the butterfly has a white band on a pale-brown background which broadens towards the costa and dorsum. There is a lot of seasonal variation in the band width.[7]

Habit and habitat

It is mostly seen in wooded slopes of Himalaya. They are confined to forested area, often in the upper canopy. Males are often seen mud-puddling.[2]

See also

Cited references

  1. ^ a b Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera Page on genus Dacalana.
  2. ^ a b c Isaac Kehimkar (2008) The Book of Indian Butterflies Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford University press, Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai
  3. ^ a b c Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 279, ser no H59.2.
  4. ^ Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "​Ancema cotys​". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  5. ^ Yutaka Inayoshi, A Check List of Butterflies in Indo-China, page on Dacalana cotys.
  6. ^ Wynter-Blyth, Mark Alexander (1957). Butterflies of the Indian Region. Bombay, India: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 338. ISBN 978-8170192329.
  7. ^ Haribal, Meena (1992). The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and Their Natural History. Gangtok, Sikkim, India: Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation. p. 106.

References


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