Appearance
* Sexes alike. Wingspan - 26 to 28 mm.⤷ Upperside - The butterfly is dark brown. It has a white-spot end cell. It has narrow white spots on 2 and 3 which form a short band on the forewing. On the UPH it has two black tornal spots and narrow dark reddish spot above them.
⤷ Underside - The butterfly is white to dark yellowish brown. Forewing has irregular dark basal markings with a curved white discal line. The apical two-fifths are a rich dark brown colour. The hindwing has a silvery margin with many irregular black lines and spots within. It has three tails, being 2 mm, 6 mm and 2.5 mm in length.
Distribution
Western Ghats, South Indian plains , Orissa and Ganjam districts to Calcutta. Assam. Sri Lanka.Status
Not Rare in India. It is common and present in all the Western Ghat districts of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Goa. It is common but not found in all the Ghat districts of Maharashtra and does not occur in Gujarat at all . However, there are recent records confirmed from Gujarat as far as up to Surat.Reproduction
The larva is unusual for a Lycaenid. It is pale green in colour and has a long line of fleshy protrusions along the back. The protuberances near the head are branched in two. On the fourth segment the protuberance is straight and has a sharp point. The last segments have two protuberances each curved outwards. The last protuberance is curved outwards and upwards. According to Evans, the larva supposedly resembles a monkey's head hence the name.Food
The butterfly has a number of foodplants from families Rubiaceae, Dipterocarpeae, Euphorbiaceae, Loranthaceae, Sapindaceae and Myrtaceae. ''Mangifera indica'', ''Meiogyne pannosa''.References:
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