Callenya melaena, the metallic hedge blue,[1] is a small butterfly found in India[2] that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.
| Metallic hedge blue | |
|---|---|
| |
| Specimen from Malaya | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Callenya |
| Species: | C. melaena
|
| Binomial name | |
| Callenya melaena (Doherty, 1889)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Description
editMale upperside: deep brown. Forewing: with the basal half dark blue, dull in certain lights, rich, shining and iridescent in others; this colour does not reach the costa, apex or termen where the ground colour forms a broad border to the blue. Hindwing: uniform brown; in certain lights iridescent blue over the basal third, but the blue does not reach either the costa or the dorsum. Underside; dull greyish white. Forewing: with the following fuscous-brown markings: a short transverse line on the discocellulars; a postdiscal transverse series of elongate spots or extremely short bars, the posterior three placed slightly en echelon, the one nearest the costa shifted well inwards; beyond this a transverse unbroken line, a subterminal series of small spots and an anteciliary dark line; costal margin somewhat broadly shaded with very pale brownish grey. Hindwing: a minute spot on dorsum near base of wing, a series of three subbasal spots placed obliquely across the wing and beyond them a much larger round subcostal spot in interspace 7, black; a short dusky brown line on the discocellulars, a brown spot above it in base of interspace 6; a transverse posterior discal series of five spots also brown, the upper four in a slight curve, the lowest shifted outwards out of line with the others; lastly, terminal transverse markings much as on the forewing, only the fuscous brown hue on the inner side of the subterminal series of spots replaced by a series of connected slender lunules. Cilia of forewings and hindwings grey. Antenna, head, thorax and abdomen dark brown, the antennae ringed with white; beneath: palpi, thorax and abdomen greyish white.[3]
Taxonomy
editThe butterfly was earlier known as Lycaenopsis melaena and was placed in the genus Celastrina.[2]
Range
editIt is found from Assam to Manipur in India[2] and in Sumatra, Malaya, Indochina, Burma, Thailand and Laos.
Subspecies
edit- Callenya melaena melaena (Manipur, Burma, northern Thailand, Laos)
- Callenya melaena shonen (Taiwan)
Cited references
edit- ^ Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Callenya melaena". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
- ^ a b c Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society. pp. 221–226, ser no H21.7.
- ^ Bingham, C.T. (1907). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Vol. II (1st ed.). London: Taylor and Francis, Ltd.
References
edit- Beccaloni, George; Scoble, Malcolm; Kitching, Ian; Simonsen, Thomas; Robinson, Gaden; Pitkin, Brian; Hine, Adrian; Lyal, Chris. "The Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex)". Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
- Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society.