Species of butterfly
Dacalana cotys , the white-banded royal [ 1] is a species of blue butterfly (Lycaenidae) found in South East Asia .
The butterfly occurs in India from Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh .[ 2] eastwards and across to northern Nepal , Bhutan , Myanmar .[ 2] and Thailand .[ 1] [ 3]
The butterfly was previously classified as Pratapa cotys ,[ 3] Ancema cotys [ 4] and Camana cotys .[ 5]
Not common as per Wynter-Blyth.[ 6] Not rare as per Evans.[ 3]
Dacalana cotys Courvoisier Collection, BaselThe butterfly has a wingspan of 33 to 37 mm.
The upperside of the male is a bright azure blue with a black border at the apex ranging from 0.5 to 5 mm at the apex. On the hindwing is a mid-costal white patch. The male has a brand on the upperside of the forewing. The female is paler with a prominent white patch at the end cell of the forewing.
On the underside, the butterfly has a white band on a pale-brown background which broadens towards the costa and dorsum. There is a lot of seasonal variation in the band width.[ 7]
It is mostly seen in wooded slopes of Himalaya . They are confined to forested area, often in the upper canopy. Males are often seen mud-puddling .[ 2]
^ a b Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera Page on genus Dacalana .
^ a b c Isaac Kehimkar (2008) The Book of Indian Butterflies Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford University press, Mumbai , Delhi , Calcutta , Chennai
^ a b c Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society . p. 279, ser no H59.2.
^ Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Ancema cotys " . The Global Lepidoptera Names Index . Natural History Museum . Retrieved April 20, 2018.
^ Yutaka Inayoshi, A Check List of Butterflies in Indo-China , page on Dacalana cotys .
^ Wynter-Blyth, Mark Alexander (1957). Butterflies of the Indian Region . Bombay, India: Bombay Natural History Society . p. 338. ISBN 978-8170192329 .
^ Haribal, Meena (1992). The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and Their Natural History . Gangtok, Sikkim, India: Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation. p. 106.
Beccaloni, George; Scoble, Malcolm; Kitching, Ian; Simonsen, Thomas; Robinson, Gaden; Pitkin, Brian; Hine, Adrian; Lyal, Chris. "The Global Lepidoptera Names Index (LepIndex)" . Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved 2016-10-15 .
Evans, W.H. (1932). The Identification of Indian Butterflies (2nd ed.). Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society .
Haribal, Meena (1992). The Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and Their Natural History . Gangtok, Sikkim, India: Sikkim Nature Conservation Foundation.
"Markku Savela's website on Lepidoptera" .
Wynter-Blyth, Mark Alexander (1957). Butterflies of the Indian Region . Bombay, India: Bombay Natural History Society . ISBN 978-8170192329 .
Yutaka Inayoshi, A Check List of Butterflies in Indo-China , page on Family Lycaenidae (accessed on 7 August 2007).