A first complete documentation of the early stages of Hampson’s Hedge Blue Acytolepis lilacea lilacea Hampson, 1889 (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) from Western Ghats, Kerala, India
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Abstract
This is the first complete documentation of the early stages of Acytolepis lilacea lilacea, the subspecies from southern India, with the first record of the larval host plant Cycas circinalis, and a comparison with the early stages of Acytolepis puspa felderi Toxopeus, 1927, a sympatric and similar species, highlighting the notable differences. The significant differences noted in the early stages of Acytolepis lilacea lilacea with that of A. puspa are the difference in ornamentation of eggs, more fluffy, blue shaded and less hairy larvae and more elongated pupae. No previous record of the early stages of any of the subspecies of Acytolepis lilacea Hampson, 1889 is available. Preliminary observations regarding the flight period and seasonal varriations of Acytolepis lilacea lilacea, from Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Kerala, India, are also presented.
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