''Nacaduba pavana'', the small four-line blue or Singapore four-line blue, 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 ...

butterfly found in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Description

Male upperside: purple with a frosted silvery-blue sheen very much as in ''N. macrophthalma''. Forewing: a slender black anteciliary line. Hindwing: costal and dorsal margins somewhat broadly dull brown, an anteciliary black line as on the forewing; the subterminal black spots in interspaces 1 and 2 of the underside apparent in most specimens by transparency. Underside: ground colour and markings similar to those of ''N. macrophthalma'' but far more slender and more neatly defined. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in ''N. macrophthalma''. Female upperside, forewing: costa broadly, apex and termen still more broadly brown; a narrow edging of pale brown along the dorsal margin; rest of the wing grey, shot with iridescent blue in certain lights. Hindwing: pale brown, much paler than the brown on the forewing; base very obscurely shot with iridescent blue; costal and dorsal margins brownish white; a transverse subterminal series of black spots edged inwardly and outwardly with slender white lines, two minute spots in interspace 1 geminate (paired), that in interspace 2 large, these three crowned inwardly beyond the white edging with an additional dusky spot. Underside: very similar to that of the male, ground colour paler, transverse white strigae broader. Both male and female have the basal area of the forewing within the transverse white strigae lining the inner side of the discocellulars immaculate, as in ''N. macrophthalma'' and'' N. kerriana''.

Distribution

Charles Thomas Bingham Charles Thomas Bingham (16 April 1848, India – 18 October 1908 West Kensington, London) was an Irish military officer and entomologist. Bingham was born in India of an old Irish family, and he was educated in Ireland.Kirby, W.F , 1909 Obituary ...

(1907) reports the butterfly from Sikkim; Bhutan; Assam; Cachar; Burma; Tenasserim; the Andamans. Described originally from Java. As per Savela the butterfly ranges from Tibet, India - Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Langkawi, Sumatra, Philippines (Mindanao) and Sulawesi.

Taxonomy

The butterfly has five

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

: * ''N. p. pavana'' * ''N. p. singapura'' * ''N. p. vajuva'' * ''N. p. georgi'' * ''N. p. visuna''

''N. p. vajuva''

The subspecies ''N. p. vajuva'' Frühstorfer 1916, which is known as the violet four-line blue, occurs in India, Myanmar and Thailand. It was earlier considered a separate species.

Cited references

References

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External links

* With images. {{Taxonbar , from=Q6957067 Nacaduba Butterflies of Asia Butterflies of Singapore Butterflies described in 1828