The Plains Cupid is a small Asian butterfly, one of the few whose caterpillars feed on cycads, including the sago palm (Cycas revoluta). It lives across tropical and subtropical Asia and isn't native to the United States, though it has been introduced to Guam, a US territory. It is also called the Cycad Blue.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A small butterfly with a wingspan of about 1–1.25 in (24–32 mm) and a thin tail on each hindwing. Males are lavender blue above; females are brown above with some blue on the forewing. Underneath, the wings are gray-brown with rows of brown markings.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Gardens and parks with cycads
- Range
- Native to South Asia, Myanmar, Indochina, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Java, Sumatra, and the Philippines, and also recorded in the UAE. It has been introduced to Réunion and to Guam (first detected there in July 2005), and has spread into Japan and South Korea.
Life cycle
- Larva
- Full-grown caterpillars are a little over half an inch long and range from bright green to dark reddish purple. Ants tend them.
- Caterpillar food plants
- Mainly cycads (genus Cycas). Caterpillars eat the new shoots and can spoil a plant's looks; heavy, repeated damage can kill a cycad.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Long known as Chilades pandava, it is now placed in the genus Luthrodes.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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