Butterflies of
the Indian subcontinent
Forget-me-not
Catochrysops
strabo
FABRICIUS, 1793
Family -
LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
POLYOMMATINAE
Tribe - POLYOMMATINI
Catochrysops
strabo, female,
Weligaththa, Sri Lanka
Introduction
There are 7 species in the genus
Catochrysops, variously distributed from India and Sri
Lanka to Malaysia, and south across the Pacific islands to
Australia, New Caledonia and the Society Islands. The genus is
closely allied to Chilades and
Euchrysops but unlike them
Catochrysops does not include any
African species.
The male of
strabo is shining violet-blue on
the upperside, while the female is pale earthy brown, with a
flush of faint silvery-blue. Both sexes have a small black spot
on the upperside hindwing next to the tail, and in the female
this is marked inwardly with an orange crescent.
Catochrysops strabo is found from
Sri Lanka and India to Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and
New Guinea, but unlike the very similar C.
panormus it does not reach Australia.
Catochrysops
strabo, male,
Weligaththa, Sri Lanka
Habitats
This butterfly is found in Acacia scrub, savannah, forest edges
and clearings, gardens, roadsides
and almost anywhere else where the caterpillar's foodplants
occur. It is a lowland species, normally found at elevations
between sea level and about 800m.
Lifecycle
The larvae feed
on Leguminosae including Phaseolus,
Cajanus,
Dolichos and Ougeinia. They
have also been reported as found on
Schleichera trijuga ( Sapindaceae )
and Desmodium ( Fabaceae ). In
common with most if not all Lycaenid larvae they are attended by
ants, although the species has not been identified.
Catochrysops
strabo, male, Weligaththa, Sri Lanka
Adult behaviour
This very active little butterfly can be seen often in large
numbers, flying around shrubs
and bushes growing in forest edge or savannah / woodland habitats. It often visits flowers,
including Lantana, and can be seen
at rest on low foliage in sunlit areas.
When settled the wings are usually held erect, and the hindwings
periodically oscillated, causing the short tails to wiggle. In
conjunction with the black & orange spot in the anal angle, this
creates the illusion of a false eye and a pair of false
antennae. Furthermore, immediately after settling the butterfly
will often rotate to face the opposite direction, which
reinforces the back-to-front illusion. The result is that when a
bird attacks it expects the butterfly to fly left, but instead
it makes its escape to the right ( or
vice versa
), leaving the bemused bird without a meal.
Catochrysops
strabo, female, Weligaththa, Sri Lanka
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