Poritia hewitsoni

Poritia hewitsoni, the common gem, is a small butterfly found in India, Myanmar,[1] Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam[2] that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.

Common gem
Male left, female right
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Poritia
Species:
P. hewitsoni
Binomial name
Poritia hewitsoni
(Moore, 1865)

Range

It ranges along the Himalayas from Kumaon to Assam in India and onto Myanmar.[1] Recorded from Mangan and Rangpo in Sikkim.[3][4]

Description

It is a small butterfly with a 31 to 38 mm wingspan. Male upper: dark iridescent blue, usually with submarginal and apical spots. The cell on upperside forewing is entirely devoid of blue or with a minute blue spot at the base in some cases. Males also have a tufted brand on the upper hindwing above vein 7. The underside is brown with variable pale lineation. Females: brown above, with a few blue spots. The upper forewing has a yellow discal patch above a blue area.[3][4]

Taxonomy

The butterfly has five subspecies in South Asia:[1]-

  • P. hewitsoni hewitsoni Moore, 1865 - Kumaon to Assam and not rare as per Evans,[1] Sikkim to northern Myanmar and northern Thailand[2]
  • P. hewitsoni tavoyana Doherty 1889 - Myanmar, not rare[1] Manipur, southern Burma, Thailand, Peninsular Malaya[2]
  • P. hewitsoni taleva Corbet, 1940 - Peninsular Malaya[2]
  • P. hewitsoni ampsaga Fruhstorfer, 1912 - Vietnam[2]

Habits

The common gem is found flying high in the lowland jungles. The males tend to fly rapidly and settle on leaves.[3] It occurs in Sikkim in October and November. The tufted brand on the male hindwing has a discernible, distinct odour.[4]

Egg
  • The egg is truncate, half as long as wide, and with two vertical and sloping and two horizontal faces.[3]
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See also

Cited references
  1. Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 208, ser no H2.5.
  2. "Poritia Moore, [1866]" at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and some other life forms
  3. Haribal, Meena (1992). The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and Their Natural History. Gangtok, Sikkim, India: Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation. pp. 91–92, ser no 106, plate 25 (images of male & female).
  4. Wynter-Blyth, Mark Alexander (1957). Butterflies of the Indian Region. Bombay, India: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 252. ISBN 978-8170192329.

References

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