''Phengaris atroguttata'', the great spotted blue,Page on Markku Savela's site for genus ''Phengaris'' (Lycaenidae).
/ref> Retrieved April 23, 2018. is a small

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

found in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

, and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.

Taxonomy

The butterfly was earlier known as ''Polyommatus atroguttata'' (Oberthür).

Range

It is found in

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...

and the

Chin Hills The Chin Hills are a range of mountains in Chin State, northwestern Burma (Myanmar), that extends northward into India's Manipur state. Geography The highest peak in the Chin Hills is Khonu Msung, Nat Ma Taung, or Mount Victoria, in southern ...

and is considered rare.

Subspecies

*''Phengaris atroguttata atroguttata'' northwest

, west

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

*''Phengaris atroguttata juenana'' (Forster, 1940)

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

*''Phengaris atroguttata lampra'' (Röber, 1926) north

*''Phengaris daitozana'' Wileman, 1911

Description

The butterfly ranges from 44 to 48 mm. The butterfly is white with pale blue suffusion, and, also a dark border on the forewing. The male butterfly has very large black discal spots showing through from below. These are darkened in above in the case of the female butterfly.

Cited references

References