Butterflies of
Malaysia and Borneo
Purple Sapphire
Heliophorus epicles
GODART, 1824
Family - LYCAENIDAE
subfamily -
LYCAENINAE
Tribe - LYCAENINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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Heliophorus
epicles tweediei, Ringlet, West Malaysia |
Introduction
The name Purple Sapphire may seem inappropriate this pretty butterfly, but
it refers to the colour of the upper surface of the wings as illustrate below, not the bright yellow
and red underside !
Although this stunning little butterfly has a rather hairstreak-like appearance,
it is in fact a member of the tribe Lycaenini - commonly known as Coppers.
There are 10 species in the genus
Heliophorus,
of which androcles,
which occurs from Sikkim to western China, is the most dramatic. It has an
underside similar to epicles,
but on the upperside of the male, the basal area of the forewings is brilliant
metallic blue in the wet season form, and a shimmering metallic green in the dry
season form.
The
illustrated species epicles
occurs in India, Burma, Thailand, West Malaysia, Bhutan, Java, Sumatra, southern
China and Taiwan, but is curiously absent from Borneo.
Both sexes are similar in
appearance, except that the orange markings on the forewing are larger in the
female.
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Heliophorus
epicles tweediei, female, Ringlet, West Malaysia |
Habitats
This species frequents disturbed forest edge habitats at elevations between
about 500-1500m above sea level. Typical habitats include roadside verges, wide
grassy forest tracks and old quarries which are in the process of reverting to
grassland and scrub.
Lifecycle
Unknown.
It is likely however that the eggs are laid singly on the upperside of leaves,
close to the stem, as in the case of other Lycaenini. The larvae are likely to
be plump, woodlouse-shaped, and rest on the underside of leaves. The foodplants
are unknown, but are likely to be herbaceous plants in the families Polygonaceae
or Plumbaginaceae.
Adult behaviour
Both sexes can be found, with luck, around bushes and tall herbage
in full sunlight at the forest edge, where they dash from flower
to flower. They are hairstreak-like in
behaviour - the males spending long periods perched on bushes,
usually with the wings held slightly apart. If two males meet,
they engage in a very lively aerial sortie, twisting and turning
in tight circles until one of the pair is shaken off, at which
time the other returns to his perch. The loser of the battle very
rarely learns from his lesson however, and often strays back into
the other's territory, getting chased away several times in
succession.
Males also settle
on dry soil, sometimes in groups of up to half a dozen, where they
imbibe what little moisture is present, to extract dissolved
minerals. Strangely they do not seem to visit damp earth or soil,
so it may be that they seek specific minerals present only
in particular well drained soils.
In warm but overcast conditions both sexes bask on herbage with
wings almost fully outspread.
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