| Plain hedge blue | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Celastrina |
| Species: | C. lavendularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Celastrina lavendularis (Moore, 1877) | |
Celastrina lavendularis, the plain hedge blue, [1] [2] is a small butterfly found in Sri Lanka, [3] India, [1] [4] and across the Indomalayan realm [5] that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.
Male. Upperside dark lavender-blue, with an extremely narrow black outer marginal border. Female paler, and of a purple lavender-blue. Forewing with the base of the costa and an outer band black. Hindwing with black anterior border and marginal row of prominent pale-bordered black spots. Cilia white, with inner black border. Underside greyish-white. Forewing with dusky-black streak at end of the cell, a discal series of oblique spots, and marginal row of small spots enclosed by a dentated line. Hindwing with three black subbasal spots, some specimens with a smaller spot at base of subcostal and another at base of lower median vein, a curved series of seven discal spots, and a marginal row of spots enclosed by a dentate line.
The butterfly was earlier known as Lycaenopsis lavendularis Moore. [3]