| Common brownie | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lycaenidae |
| Genus: | Miletus |
| Species: | M. boisduvali |
| Binomial name | |
| Miletus boisduvali (Butler, 1884) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Miletus boisduvali, the common brownie, [1] [2] is a small but striking butterfly found in India and Myanmar [3] [4] that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.
It ranges from Sikkim to Assam in India to Myanmar. [3] [4] [5]
A small butterfly, 32 to 38 mm in wingspan. The upper forewing in both sexes has an obscure narrow curved white discal band, the lower spots composing it are well separated. In males, this band may be reduced to a small whitish patch at base 4. In females there will always be a dark streak present in the cell while the band may coalesce and extend to base. [4] The body of the male is elongated and slender and protrudes beyond the wing. The underside is white with fine brown striation.
Male upperside: brown; apical half of forewing very dark. Forewing with a short, curved, discal white fascia, sometimes obsolescent and vary variable in length. In some specimens it extends from just beyond the cell to vein 3, with or without an elongate white spot in continuation of it in interspace 2 and another in interspace 1; in other individuals it is longer and reaches vein 2, with or without a single elongate while spot in interspace 1. Hindwing: uniform, immaculate. Underside: slightly shiny, silken brown, deepening to purplish brown towards the termen and on hindwing. Forewing: a pale whitish, irregular, somewhat diffuse discal patch; cell crossed by six very slender obscure sinuate white lines, that give the cell the appearance of being crossed by three short brown bands; an irregular postdiscal sinuate transverse series of brown lunules of a shade slightly darker than the ground colour, those on the anterior portion of the wing are very slender and thread-like, those posteriorly broad and formed into somewhat annular transverse spots, the lower spots cross the discal whitish area; a subterminal series of black dots continued along the apical half of the costa. Hindwing: crossed by more or less obscure, catenulated, dark brown, interrupted bands that are margined on the inner and outer sides by snort, thread-like, darker, sinuate lines; a short, maculate, dark purple, transverse band from the middle of the dorsum to vein 4; and a subterminal series of minute black dots that is continued both subcostally and subdorsally to the base of the wing. [6]
Female similar to the male but the colour and markings both on the upper and under sides duller. On the upperside of the forewing the white fascia is generally but not always broader. On the underside the purplish-brown gloss on the hindwing is restricted to a small area near the middle of the termen, the rest of the ground colour of the wing is dull brown. The catenulated transverse bands on both forewings and hindwings are however, more distinct. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen above and beneath in both sexes uniform dark brown. [6]
Flies in forested country at lower elevations. [4] Members of this genus are known to be carnivorous. Some species in other parts of the world are recorded as feeding on greenflies. [5]
Graphium nomius, the spot swordtail, is a butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia that belongs to the swallowtail family. The species was first described by Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper in 1793. One of the grandest sights is a host of spot swordtails mud-puddling or swarming around a flowering forest tree.
Papilio (Chilasa) agestor, the tawny mime, is a swallowtail butterfly, native to Indian subcontinent and widely found across Asia. The butterfly belongs to the mime subgenus, Chilasa, of the genus Papilio or the black-bodied swallowtails.
Parnassius staudingeri hunza, the Karakoram banded Apollo, is a high-altitude butterfly which is found in India. It is a member of the genus Parnassius of the swallowtail family, Papilionidae. It was variously treated as a subspecies of P. delphius and a distinct species. The subspecies was first described by Grigory Grum-Grshimailo in 1888.
Dodona ouida, the mixed Punch, is a small but striking butterfly found in the Indomalayan realm in West China, Himalayas, Northeast India (hills) and Burma that belongs to the Punches and Judies, that is, the family Riodinidae.
Dodona adonira, the striped Punch, is a small but striking butterfly found in the Indomalayan realm that belongs to the Punches and Judies, that is, the family Riodinidae.
Libythea lepita, the common beak, is a butterfly that belongs to the Libytheinae group of the brush-footed butterflies family. It is found from southern India to Japan and its larval food plants include members of the Cannabaceae, particularly in the genera Celtis and Trema.
Libythea geoffroy, the purple beak, is a butterfly found in parts of India and Myanmar that belongs to the subfamily Libytheinae of the family Nymphalidae.
Miletus symethus, the great brownie, is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777.
Allotinus drumila, the crenulate darkie, is a small butterfly found in India, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Yunnan (China) that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.
Nacaduba angusta, the white lineblue, is a lycaenid butterfly found in South Asia. The species was first described by Herbert Druce in 1873.
Prosotas noreia, the white-tipped lineblue, is a species of lycaenid butterfly found in South Asia and Java.
Nacaduba pavana, the small four-line blue or Singapore four-line blue, is a species of lycaenid butterfly found in Southeast Asia.
Nacaduba berenice, the rounded six-line blue, is a lycaenid butterfly found in Indomalayan realm. The species was first described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1869.
Hypolycaena erylus, the common tit, is a small but striking butterfly found in India and South-East Asia that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family. The species was first described by Jean-Baptiste Godart in 1823.
Thaumantis diores, the jungle glory, is a butterfly found in South Asia that belongs to the Morphinae subfamily of the brush-footed butterflies family.
Stichophthalma camadeva, the northern jungle queen, is a butterfly found in South Asia that belongs to the Morphinae subfamily of the brush-footed butterflies family.
Stichophthalma nourmahal, is a South Asian butterfly that belongs to the Morphinae subfamily of the brush-footed butterflies family.
Stichophthalma sparta, the Manipur jungle queen, is a butterfly found in South Asia that belongs to the Morphinae subfamily of the brush-footed butterflies family.
Prosotas bhutea, the Bhutya lineblue, is a species of blue butterfly (Lycaenidae) found in Asia.
Auzakia is a monotypic butterfly genus in the family Nymphalidae. It contains the single species, Auzakia danava, the commodore, which is found from Tibet to Sumatra.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miletus boisduvali . |
 | Wikispecies has information related to Miletus boisduvali . |
Online