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
Fig. 3 male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Riodinidae
Genus: Psychonotis
Species:
P. caelius
Binomial name
Psychonotis caelius
(C. & R. Felder, 1860)[1]
Synonyms
  • Lycaena caelius C. & R. Felder, 1860
  • Psychonotis hymetus taygetus C. & R. Felder, 1865
  • Psychonotis hymetus taletum Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914
  • Psychonotis hymetus salamandri Macleay, 1866
  • Thysonotis hanno Grose-Smith, 1894
  • Thysonotis irregularis Ribbe, 1899
  • Thysonotis moutoni Ribbe, 1899
  • Thysonotis korion Druce & Bethune-Baker, 1893
  • Thysonotis hymetus manusi Rothschild, 1915
  • Danis caelius mayae D'Abrera, 1971
  • Thysonotis plateni Grose-Smith & Kirby, [1896]
  • Thysonotis plotinus Grose-Smith & Kirby, [1896]
  • Thysonotis ekeikei Bethune-Baker, 1908
  • Thysonotis aetius Fruhstorfer, 1915
  • Thysonotis coelinus Grose-Smith, 1898

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
  1. "Psychonotis Toxopeus, 1930" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. Australian Insects


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