Chilades lajus

DATASHEET

Common Name:

Taxonomy:

Morphology:

Sexual Dimorphism:

Distribution:

Flight time:

Habitat:

Life History:

Voltinism:

Larval hosts:
(all locations)

Adult food sources:
(all locations)

Photos:
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the Lime Blue                    Photos at the bottom of the page

Arthropoda - Insecta - Lepidoptera - Lycaenidae - Polyommatinae - Chilades - lajus (Stoll, 1780)

wingspan - 60-80mm, wing colour - UP male is purple blue with a narrow dark border on forewings and a series of dark dots bordered in white around hindwing margins, female is similar but with lighter blue tint and wider dark border; UN has a complex series of black and dark brown spots on a grey and white background, eye colour - black, proboscis colour - dark yellow, antennae colour - black/white banded, abdomen colour - brown with grey/white bands, leg colour - white/black, flight - slow

small differences in appearance between sexes, especially on upper wings

Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines

all year depending on location

dry and moist deciduous, semi evergreen, and evergreen forest; also lowland scrub

¦¦   egg    2-3 days   ¦¦   instar1    2 days   ¦¦   instar2    2 days   ¦¦   instar3    3 days   ¦¦   instar4    5 days   ¦¦
¦¦   instar5    n/a   ¦¦   pupa    4-10 days   ¦¦    Total egg-adult 21-28 days.   All times approximate.

multivoltine

Atalantia buxifolia, Atalantia ceylanica, Atalantia monophylla, Atalantia racemosa, Atalantia wightii, Chloroxylon swietenia, Citrus aurantifolia, Citrus hystrix, Citrus limetta, Citrus limon, Citrus maxima, Citrus medica, Citrus sinensis, Glycosmis mauritiana, Glycosmis pentaphylla, Limonia acidissima, Limonia elephantum, Microcitrus australasica, Murraya paniculata, Naringi crenulata, Zanthoxylum acanthopodium (Rutaceae), Tilia sp. (Malvaceae)
Actual host plant used depends upon location and availabilty of plant species.

Nectar: Ziziphus mauritiana (Rhamnaceae), Anaphalis bournei, Anaphalis contorta, Bidens alba, Bidens pilosa, Emilia sonchifolia, Erigeron karvinskianus, Galinsoga parviflora, Parthenium hysterophorus, Taraxacum javanicum, Tridax procumbens, Vernonia cinerea (Asteraceae), Sida acuta, Urena lobata (Malvaceae), Oenothera rosea (Onagraceae), Cyanotis villosa (Commelinaceae), Fragaria nubicola, Prinsepia utilis (Rosaceae), Oxalis latifolia (Oxalidaceae), Jasminum mesnyi (Oleaceae), Desmodium repandum, Oplismenus undulatifolius, Poa annua (Poaceae), Tephrosia purpurea, Trifolium repens (Fabaceae), Gentiana quadrifaria (Gentianaceae), Citrus medica, Ruta chalepensis, Skimmia arborescens (Rutaceae), Agapetes serpens (Ericaceae), Osbeckia nepalensis (Melastomataceae), Boerhavia diffusa (Nyctaginaceae), Tribulus terrestris (Zygophyllaceae), Smilax sp. (Smilacaceae)

Other: mud puddling, animal dung