''Jamides cyta'', the pale cerulean, is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

of the lycaenids or blues family. It is found throughout South-east Asia, from

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to the

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and the

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, as well as

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. The

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is about 30 mm. Adult males are pale blue on top. Females are similar but the forewings have black wing tips and margins, and each hindwing has a subterminal arc of black spots. The underside of both sexes is grey with several arcs of white dashes, and the females often have a white patch under each forewing. The larvae feed on the flower buds, flowers and fruit of '' Syzygium puberulum''. Other recorded food plants are '' Eugenia'', '' Elettaria'' (including '' E. cardomomum'') and '' Kaempferia'' species (including '' K. pandurata''). They are brown with a dark brown head and thorax. They are covered in dense fine hairs.Australian Insects
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Subspecies

* ''J. c. cyta'' (New Ireland, New Hanover) * ''J. c. amphissa'' C. Felder and R. Felder, 1860 (Bachan, Halmahera) * ''J. c. amphissina'' Grose-Smith, 1894 (West Irian: Humboldt Bay) * ''J. c. aruanus'' (Röber),

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/small> (Aru) * ''J. c. courvoisieri'' (Fruhstorfer, 1915) (Nias) * ''J. c. claudia'' (Waterhouse and Lyell, 1914) (northern Queensland: Claudie River) - pale cerulean * ''J. c. hellada'' (Fruhstorfer, 1915) (Sula Islands) * ''J. c. koenigswarteri'' Schröder, Treadaway and Nuyda, 1993 (Philippines: Mindoro) * ''J. c. lamax'' Riley, 1945 (Mentawi) * ''J. c. leiothrix'' (Fruhstorfer, 1915) (Enggano) * ''J. c. lividus'' (Druce, 1895) (Borneo) * ''J. c. madara'' (Fruhstorfer, 1915) (Kai Island) * ''J. c. margarita'' (Martin, 1895) (Sumatra) * ''J. c. megdora'' (Fruhstorfer, 1915) (Obi) * ''J. c. minna'' Riley and Corbet, 1938 (Peninsular Malaya, Burma, Thailand) * ''J. c. natsumiae'' H.Hayashi, 1976 (Philippines: Palawan, Alibobogan) * ''J. c. nemea'' C. Felder, 1860 (Indonesia: Maluku, Ambon) * ''J. c. raddatzi'' Schröder and Treadaway, 1984 (Philippines: Sibuyan Island) * ''J. c. vardusia'' (Fruhstorfer, 1915) (Java) * ''J. c. zelea'' (Fruhstorfer, 1915) (southern Sulawesi, Banggai)

Gallery

File:JamidesCytaAmphissaMFUpUnAC1.jpg, ''J. c. amphissa'' File:AruanusFUpUns 429 430 AC1.jpg, ''J. c. aruanus'' File:CourvoisieriJamidesNiasTypeUpUn75x6 600.jpg, ''J. c. courvoisieri'' File:Jamides_cytus_claudia.jpg, ''J. c. claudia'' File:Jamides cyta lividus.JPG, ''J. c. lividus'' File:J._cyta_natsumiae,_male.JPG, ''J. c. natsumiae'' male File:J._cyta_natsumiae,_female.JPG, ''J. c. natsumiae'' female File:RoberIrisDresden1886TafIV.jpg, ''J. c. aruanus'' male (figure 12), ''J. cyta nemea'' as ''callinicus'' (Röber, 1886) (male figure 15), ''J. cyta optimus'' (Röber, 1886) (male figure 16), ''J. cyta optimus'' (Röber, 1886) as ''griseus'' (male figure 18)

References

*, 1832. ''Voyage de découvertes de l'Astrolabe'' (etc.). Faune entomologique de l'Ocean Pacifique (etc.). Paris. J Tastu, 716 pp. *, 1992. A generic classification of the tribe Polyommatini of the Oriental and Australian regions (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, Polyommatinae). ''Bulletin of the University of Osaka Prefecture'', Series B, Vol. 44, Suppl. *, 1999. ''The Butterflies of Papua New Guinea'' Academic Press, *, 1989. On some type specimens of Lycaenidae from South East Asia. ''Tyô to Ga'' 40(1): 23–80. Butterflies described in 1832 Jamides Butterflies of Borneo {{Polyommatini-stub