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
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
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