''Cigaritis lilacinus'', the lilac silverline, is a species of

lycaenid Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfl ...

or blue butterfly found in Asia.

Range

The lilac silverline is found in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

and N.

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. In India, this butterfly is found from

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

and

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...

to southern

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, with also one record each from Rajasthan and

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

. The species has been located in Rawalpindi in Pakistan, and the following Indian states: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The only resident, breeding population discovered is in Hesarghatta Lake in Bengaluru, Karanataka.

Description

Male

Female

Ecology and conservation

The lilac silverline has been recorded from a wide variety of habitats that include protected wildlife reserves such as the Daying Ering Wildlife Sanctuary and Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Reserve, restored institutional campus such as the Agastya Campus in Chitoor, and open plains and gram fields in Uttar Pradesh. In all locations, except at Hessarghatta Lake, very small numbers of the species have been observed, with many observations being one individual. The lilac silverline has been sighted in relatively undisturbed reserves, but a majority of the sightings have been in areas that experience human activities such as grazing, agriculture, grazing, and regular visitations by urban photographers. Caterpillars of lilac silverline are tended by ants that offer protection from predators and

parasitoids In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionary strategies within parasi ...

. The lilac silverline is protected under Schedule II of the Indian (Wildlife) Protection Act. Uncontrolled visits to its breeding habitat in Bengaluru by photographers appear to be destroying its host plant due to the traversing of a large number of vehicles indiscriminately across Hesaraghatta Lake. No other threats have been recognized for this species across its distribution range.

Gallery

File:Apharitis lilacinus Moore, 1884 – Lilac Silverline (29858205788).jpg, Ventral view (male) File:Apharitis lilacinus Moore, 1884 – Lilac Silverline (43728995301).jpg, Dorsal view (male) File:Apharitis lilacinus Moore, 1884 – Lilac Silverline (43681065942).jpg, Ventral view (female) File:Lilac silverline WSF Female IMG 4639.jpg, Dorsal view (female) File:Lilac Silverline dry season form.jpg, Dry season form

References

Cigaritis Fauna of Pakistan Fauna of India Butterflies described in 1884 {{Aphnaeini-stub