Subspecies in India
(1) Acytolepis puspa gisca (Fruhstorfer, 1910) – Himalayan Common Hedge Blue
Three other names are commonly listed as subspecies of puspa: felderi Toxopeus, 1927, cyanescens (de Nicéville, 1890), and prominens (de Nicéville, 1890). The southern Indian population is often given under the subspecies name felderi, following provisional placement by Eliot and Kawazoé (1983). However, felderi completely overlaps in phenotype with gisca, which is an older and valid name.
Three other names are commonly listed as subspecies of puspa: felderi Toxopeus, 1927, cyanescens (de Nicéville, 1890), and prominens (de Nicéville, 1890). The southern Indian population is often given under the subspecies name felderi, following provisional placement by Eliot and Kawazoé (1983). However, felderi completely overlaps in phenotype with gisca, which is an older and valid name.
Conservation and Special status
This species is not legally protected in India under any schedules of WildLife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Photo Gallery and Species Biology
State | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | No date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Andaman and Nicobar Islands UT | |||||||||||||
Andhra Pradesh | 1 | ||||||||||||
Arunachal Pradesh | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | |||||||
Assam | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
Bihar | |||||||||||||
Chandigarh | |||||||||||||
Chhattisgarh | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 1 | |||||
Dadra & Nagar Haveli UT | |||||||||||||
Daman & Diu UT | |||||||||||||
Delhi | |||||||||||||
Goa | 2 | 1 | |||||||||||
Gujarat | 1 | ||||||||||||
Haryana | |||||||||||||
Himachal Pradesh | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
Jammu and Kashmir UT | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
Jharkhand | 1 | ||||||||||||
Karnataka | 10 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 8 | 16 | 47 | 34 | 21 | ||
Kerala | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 5 | ||||
Ladakh UT | |||||||||||||
Lakshadweep | |||||||||||||
Madhya Pradesh | 2 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |||||||
Maharashtra | 17 | 38 | 30 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 77 | 56 | 33 | 43 | 44 | |
Manipur | 1 | ||||||||||||
Meghalaya | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
Mizoram | 1 | ||||||||||||
Nagaland | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
Odisha | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
Puducherry UT | |||||||||||||
Punjab | |||||||||||||
Rajasthan | |||||||||||||
Sikkim | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
Tamil Nadu | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |||||||
Tripura | |||||||||||||
Uttar Pradesh | 2 | ||||||||||||
Uttarakhand | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 | ||||||
West Bengal | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||
Total | 38 | 50 | 48 | 19 | 26 | 32 | 33 | 101 | 109 | 111 | 105 | 81 |
Shorea roxburghii (Smetacek & Smetacek 2011) (Dipterocarpaceae). Cratoxylum cochinchinense (Wynter-Blyth 1957; Kunte 2000), Moullava spicata (Saji et al. 2018), Paracalyx scariosus (Wynter-Blyth 1957; Kunte 2000; Robinson et al. 2010), Peltophorum pterocarpum (P. Churi pers. obs. 2017), Xylia xylocarpa (Davidson et al. 1896; Wynter-Blyth 1957; Kunte 2000; Robinson et al. 2010) (Fabaceae). Hiptage benghalensis (Wynter-Blyth 1957; Kunte 2000), Hiptage madablota (Robinson et al. 2010) (Malpighiaceae). Bridelia retusa (V.C. Balakrishnan pers. obs. 2017), Bridelia stipularis (V.C. Balakrishnan pers. obs. 2017)(Phyllanthaceae). Lepisanthes tetraphylla (Saji et al. 2018), Schleichera oleosa (Davidson et al. 1896; Wynter-Blyth 1957; Kunte 2000), Schleichera trijuga (Robinson et al. 2010) (Sapindaceae). The southern Indian populations are often given under the subspecies name felderi, following provisional placement by Eliot and Kawazoé (1983). However, felderi completely overlaps in phenotype with gisca, which is an older and valid name.
Key Reference:
Nitin, R., V. C. Balakrishnan, P. V. Churi, S. Kalesh, S. Prakash, and K. Kunte. 2018. Larval host plants of the butterflies of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10:11495–11550.
For the complete list of larval host plants of Indian butterflies, see the page on larval host plants.
Key Reference:
Nitin, R., V. C. Balakrishnan, P. V. Churi, S. Kalesh, S. Prakash, and K. Kunte. 2018. Larval host plants of the butterflies of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10:11495–11550.
For the complete list of larval host plants of Indian butterflies, see the page on larval host plants.
Page citation
Saji, K., H. Ogale, A. Soman, P. Churi, S. Mazumder, and K. Kunte 2024. Acytolepis puspa (Horsfield, [1828]) – Common Hedge Blue. In Kunte, K., S. Sondhi, and P. Roy (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.12. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/acytolepis-puspa, accessed 2024/10/12.