Psychonotis caelius
Psychonotis caelius, the small green banded blue, is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in New Guinea and adjacent islands and along the eastern coast of Australia.
Psychonotis caelius | |
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Fig. 3 male | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Riodinidae |
Genus: | Psychonotis |
Species: | P. caelius |
Binomial name | |
Psychonotis caelius | |
Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adult males are blue with a large white patch on the hindwings. Females are black with a large white patch on the wings.
The larvae feed on Alphitonia excelsa and Alphitonia petriei. It lives on the underside of a leaf of the host plant. They are pale green and hairy. Pupation takes place in a cream coloured pupa with brown markings, which is attached to the underside of a leaf.[2]
Subspecies
- P. c. caelius (Aru, Australia)
- P. c. hanno (Grose-Smith, 1894) (New Britain)
- P. c. korion (H. H. Druce and Bethune-Baker, 1893) (Kai Islands)
- P. c. manusi (Rothschild, 1915) (Admiralty Islands)
- P. c. mayae (D'Abrera, 1971) (Louisiades)
- P. c. plateni (Grose-Smith and Kirby, [1896]) (Waigeu)
- P. c. plotinus (Grose-Smith and Kirby, [1896]) (Papua New Guinea)
References
- "Psychonotis Toxopeus, 1930" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
- Australian Insects
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