Psychonotis caelius

Psychonotis caelius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Psychonotis
Species:	P. caelius
Binomial name
Psychonotis caelius (C. & R. Felder, 1860)[1]
Synonyms
Lycaena caelius C. & R. Felder, 1860 Psychonotis hymetus taygetus C. & R. Felder, 1865 Psychonotis hymetus taletum Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914 Psychonotis hymetus salamandri Macleay, 1866 Thysonotis hanno Grose-Smith, 1894 Thysonotis irregularis Ribbe, 1899 Thysonotis moutoni Ribbe, 1899 Thysonotis korion Druce & Bethune-Baker, 1893 Thysonotis hymetus manusi Rothschild, 1915 Danis caelius mayae D'Abrera, 1971 Thysonotis plateni Grose-Smith & Kirby, [1896] Thysonotis plotinus Grose-Smith & Kirby, [1896] Thysonotis ekeikei Bethune-Baker, 1908 Thysonotis aetius Fruhstorfer, 1915 Thysonotis coelinus Grose-Smith, 1898

The Small Green Banded Blue (Psychonotis caelius) is a species of butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in New Guinea and adjacent islands and along the eastern coast of Australia.

The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adult males are blue with a large white patch on the hindwings. Females are black with a large white patch on the wings.

The larvae feed on Alphitonia excelsa and Alphitonia petriei. It lives on the underside of a leaf of the host plant. They are pale green and hairy. Pupation takes place in a cream coloured pupa with brown markings, which is attached to the underside of a leaf.^[2]

Subspecies

• Psychonotis caelius caelius (Aru, Australia)
• Psychonotis caelius hanno (Grose-Smith, 1894) (New Britain)
• Psychonotis caelius korion (H. H. Druce and Bethune-Baker, 1893) (Kai Islands)
• Psychonotis caelius manusi (Rothschild, 1915) (Admiralty Islands)
• Psychonotis caelius mayae (D'Abrera, 1971) (Louisiades)
• Psychonotis caelius plateni (Grose-Smith and Kirby, [1896]) (Waigeu)
• Psychonotis caelius plotinus (Grose-Smith and Kirby, [1896]) (Papua New Guinea)

References