Butterflies of
Thailand, Malaysia &
Borneo
Oriental
Short-tailed Blue
Everes lacturnus
GODART, 1824
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
POLYOMMATINAE
Tribe - POLYOMMATINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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Everes
lacturnus rileyi,
Gopeng, West Malaysia |
Introduction
Everes is regarded by some workers
as a sub-genus of Cupido. The
butterflies are predominantly Holarctic in distribution, with 14
different "Short-tailed Blues" distributed variously from Spain
to Japan. Only 2 Everes species
occur south of the Himalayas - kala
from Assam, and lacturnus.
Everes lacturnus is
found from India and Sri Lanka to Malaysia, east to southern
China, Korea and Japan, and south through Thailand, Malaya,
Singapore, Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and most of the smaller
islands west of the Wallace Line, down to the north coast of
Australia.
On the upper
surface of the wings the male is violet-blue, with blackish
borders which vary in width according to location and
subspecies. The female is almost entirely dull earthy brown,
except for the orange lunules and black spots at the tornus of
the hindwings.
The short tail is present in both sexes, but is often lost after
a few days of activity.
The underside
is pale silvery-grey, with a bright reddish-orange blotch at the
hindwing tornus, and a series of dark grey marginal and
submarginal dashes.
Habitats
This tiny butterfly, which is also known as the Tailed Cupid, is found in disturbed habitats including forest
clearings, plantations, parks, gardens, and along roadsides and
riverbanks. It occurs at all elevations between sea level and at
least 1600 metres.
Lifecycle
The eggs are pale green, round and flattened. They are laid
singly on the flowers and pods of the foodplants which include
several Desmodium and
Trifolium species, and undoubtedly
also on other genera of low-growing herbaceous Fabaceae.
The caterpillar
is woodlouse-shaped and slightly hairy. It is green in colour
with small patches of reddish-brown dorsally.
The chrysalis
is pale translucent green, marked with a double row of tiny
black dots along the back, and covered in shortish soft hairs on
the head, thorax and lower abdomen. It is formed among the fruit
pods of the foodplant.
Adult behaviour
Males
are usually seen singly, or in mixed aggregations with other
Polyommatines, mud-puddling on damp patches of ground.
Both sexes visit flowers, showing a preference for small white
or blue species rather than the more showy plants. They tend to
spend a long time on each plant, walking about over the flower
heads as they probe different parts of the nectaries with their
short proboscises.
When feeding, either on the ground or at flowers, the
butterflies hold their wings erect, but they can also be seen
basking on foliage with their wings held half open.
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