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''Rapala lankana'', the Malabar flash, is a species of
lycaenid Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfly ...
or blue butterfly found in
South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and T ...
and
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
. It was first described by
Frederic Moore Frederic Moore FZS (13 May 1830 – 10 May 1907) was a British entomologist and illustrator. He produced six volumes of ''Lepidoptera Indica'' and a catalogue of the birds in the collection of the East India Company. It has been said that Mo ...
in 1879.


Description

Male: Upperside: Both wings deep purple, almost dull black, but in certain lights the whole of the hindwing and the lower discal area of the forewing glossed with magnificent rich purple. Hindwing with the anal lobe centred with ferruginous. Underside: Both wings pale ferruginous towards the base, becoming gradually darker towards the margin. Forewing with a somewhat broad straight discal deep ferruginous band from the costa almost reaching the sub-median nervure, its outer edge very even, its inner edge a little irregular. Hindwing with a similar discal band, but posteriorly curved up to the abdominal margin; the anal lobe black, a deep ferruginous spot in the first median interspace on the margin, with some indistinct white speckles between, the discal band also bordered with white on both sides above the anal lobe. Female: Upperside: Both wings pale violet-brown, marginal line black. Cilia pale ferruginous, at anal angle of hindwing and beyond the tail white. Hindwing with the anal lobe ferruginous, tail black. Underside: both wings pale ferruginous, the margin darker; crossed by a narrow ferruginous-brown discal band. Hindwing with a black spot at the anal lobe and a speckled spot beyond, both of which and the end of the band are bordered with white speckles. Legs blackish, banded with white.


See also

* List of butterflies of the Western Ghats


References

Theclinae Butterflies of Asia Butterflies described in 1879 {{Theclinae-stub