Blues & related forms- Part 1

I have decided to take all Blues and related forms seriously. They are butterflies belonging to the family Lycaenidae, the second largest buttefly family in the world with over 6,000 species—which accounts for nearly 40 % of the known species of butterflies. With 85 species, they represent over 1/3 of the total number of species of butterflies in Sri Lanka. Also referred as lycaenids by the serious types, these butterflies are characterised by their metallic colours: mostly blue in the upper sides, quick flight and sun-loving nature.

Blues can pose serious ID challenges similar to LBJs in birding due to their diminutive nature, and subtle inter species differences—often a few tiny spots marking the difference between similar looking ones. Therefore, when confronted with these tiny flying puzzles, most naturalists resort to a convenient escape route to loosely lump them all as "blues" or "lycaenids," without putting the effort to narrow their idenitifcations down to species level. To be honest, I was one of these until very recently.

For them, I have now started to use the same method that I use to learn dragonflies and damselflies: (macro) photograph them first, look them up in various sources to identify them myself first before getting my results verified by experts. Although the first aspect could be daunting at times, I find this method to be the best one to learn such tough groups of insects properly.

Here I list a few Lycaenids photographed at various locations including at my home garden. I’d like to thank the entomologist Michael van der Poorten, who is working on a book on butterflies of Sri Lanka, for taking the time to confirm my identifications; I got six right and 1 wrong!

Oh! And I also share here my geek score. Isn't this a fitting occation do so ? How about yours?

30% Geek

Tiny Grass Blue Zizula hylax

Tiny Grass Blue Zizula hylax Common Hedge Blue Actyolepis pushpa felderi

Metallic Cerulean Jamides alecto

Common Cerulean Jamides celeno

Plains Cupid Chilades pandava

African Babul Blue Azanus jesous

Lesser Grass Blue Zizina otis

Yamfly Loxura atymnus
Common Pierrot Castalius rosimon