#11 - Bhutya Lineblue - Prosotas bhutea de Nicéville, 1883

By: Jatishwor Singh Irungbam

Prosotas bhutea, the Bhutya lineblue, is a species of blue butterfly (Lycaenidae) found in Asia. The butterfly is distributed through India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Thailand (Kehimkar, 2008; Ek-Amnuay, 2006). In India, the butterfly is found from Alipurduar (West Bengal), Sikkim, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. (Varshney & Smetacek, 2015; http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sp/688/Prosotas-bhutea)

Taxonomic position

Order:     Lepidoptera

Family:  Lycaenidae

Genus:   Prosotas

Species: P. bhutea de Nicéville, 1883

Description:

The species is 25-28 mm in wingspan. Hindwing tailed. Male of the species has upperside is a dull opaque purplish brown or purplish blue with very narrow dark borders. The underside is pale yellowish-brown in colour, sub-basal and postdiscal bands short and confined to forewing cell, postdiscal spot not in space 1b. Female of the butterfly has pale brown or dark brown, sometimes with a bluish lower discal patch on forewing upperside. There are terminal markings as are on the forewing, but the lunules of the subterminal series are inwardly somewhat hastate (spear shaped), the row of spots beyond them each inwardly conical; a prominent black subterminal spot in interspace two, is inwardly ochraceous, and outwardly speckled with metallic blue scales. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen are a dull, purplish brown. The thorax is somewhat grizzled. (Kehimkar, 2008; Ek-Amnuay, 2006; Wikipedia)

Figure 1: Bhutya Lineblue, from Litan road, Ukhrul district photograph by Jatishwor Irungbam.

Habitat & Habits:

In Himalaya, the butterfly occurs up to 820 m and seen wing in December. The butterfly has a restless flight and the species tends to appear in relatively large numbers and remains abundant for a few days, after which it disappears without a trace as similar like Prosotas dubiosa (Pers. Comm..). Kunte et al. (2012) observe the species mud-puddling, congregated in small groups near the stream in Gangrot at Garo Hills and uncommon. Sondhi & Kunte (2016) also recorded the species at all locations at Pakke in the pre and post-monsoon seasons, often at moist soil in the company of other lineblues and are locally common. Gogoi (2016) have recorded the species from Malidor at 28m inside the Barail Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam. Singh et al. (2015) also recorded the butterfly from  the semi-evergreen forest of Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam during September and October.

Food Plants:

The food plant of the species is unknown. Needed further investigation.

Figure 2: A pair of Bhutya Lineblue, from Litan road, Ukhrul district photograph by Jatishwor Irungbam.

Sightings in Manipur:

The butterfly seems to be rare in Manipur. The butterfly has been sighted Litan Road, Ukhrul during July and August near the running streams and wet grounds. Mostly seen in groups.

References:

Anonymous. (2017). Prosotas bhutea de Nicéville, 1883 – Bhutia Lineblue. Kunte, K., P. Roy, S. Kalesh and U. Kodandaramaiah (eds.). Butterflies of India, v. 2.24. Indian Foundation for Butterflies. http://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/sp/688/Prosotas-bhutea

Ek-Amnuay, P. (2006). Butterflies of Thailand, Vol 2. Bangkok: Baan Lae Suan, 867 pp.

Gogoi, M. J., H.J. Singha & P. Deb (2016). Butterfly (Lepidoptera) Diversity in Barail Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 4(4): 547-560.

Kehimkar, I. (2008). The Book of Indian Butterflies. Bombay Natural History Society, 497 pp.

Kunte, K., S. Sondhi, B.M. Sangma, R. Lovalekar, K. Tokekar & G. Agavekar (2012). Butterflies of the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, northeastern India: their diversity and conservation. Journal of Threatened Taxa 4(10): 2933–2992.

Singh, A.P., L. Gogoi & J. Sebastain (2015). The seasonality of butterflies in a semi-evergreen forest: Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, northeastern India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(1): 6774–6787.

Sondhi, S. & K. Kunte (2016). Butterflies (Lepidoptera) of the Kameng Protected Area Complex, western Arunachal Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(8): 9053–9124.

Varshney, R. K. & P. Smetacek. (2015). A synoptic Catalogue of the Butterflies of India. Butterfly Research Centre, Bhimtal and Indinov Publishing, New Delhi, ii + 261 pp., 8 pl.