Spalgis epius
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2008-05-27T20:36:34Z
RussBot
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Robot-assisted fix [[WP:DPL|links to disambiguation page]] Malaya
{{Taxobox
| name = Apefly
| image = VB_011_Apefly.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| image_caption =
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Arthropod]]a
| classis = [[Insect]]a
| ordo = [[Lepidoptera]]
| superfamilia = [[Papilionoidea]]
| familia = [[Lycaenidae]]
| subfamilia = [[Miletinae]]
| genus = ''[[Spalgis]]''
| species = ''S. epius''
| binomial = ''Spalgis epius''
| binomial_authority = ([[John Obadiah Westwood|Westwood]], 1851)
}}
The '''Apefly''' (''Spalgis epius'') is a small [[butterfly]] found in [[Asia]] that belongs to the [[Lycaenidae|Lycaenids or Blues]] family.<ref name="Funet.fi">[http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/papilionoidea/lycaenidae/miletinae/spalgis/index.html Page on Marrku Savela's site for genus Spalgis (Lycaenidae).]</ref> It gets its name from the supposed resemblance of its caterpillar to the face of an ape.
==Description==
===Male===
Upperside: dull brown, slightly darker towards the apex of the fore wing; also a more or less quadrate whitish spot beyond the apex of the cell on the same wing; in some specimens this spot is slightly diffuse. Underside : pale, silky, brownish-white; fore and hind wings crossed by numerous, very slender, short, sinuous, transverse, dark brown strigae which are outwardly slenderly edged with brownish-white of a shade paler than that of the ground-colour; both wings with an anticiliary dark brown line with on the inner side a similar edging. Fore wing, in addition, with an oval white spot beyond the cell. Cilia of both fore and hind wings of the same shade as the ground-colour of the wings. Antenna, head, thorax and abdomen pale brown, club of antennae ochraceous at apex; beneath : the palpi and thorax brownish-grey, abdomen pale brown.
===Female===
Upperside: slightly paler brown. Fore wing: the cell and apex darker; a white spot similar to that in the male but larger, beyond the apex of the cell; in most specimens extended diffusely outwards and downwards. Hind wing: similar to that of the male. Underside: precisely as in the male.<ref>Bingham, C. T. (1907) Fauna of British India. Butterflies. Volume 2.</ref>
<gallery>
Image:AB107 Apefly.JPG|Apefly with part of upper forewing visible
Image:AB108_Apefly.JPG|Apefly from Salugara forest, North Bengal
Image:Lycaenid_wyn.jpg|Apefly from Wayanad perched upside down on a twig
Image:Epius.jpg|Upperside. Museum specimen. [[Malay Peninsula|Malaya]].
</gallery>
==Life cycle==
<gallery>
Image:Apefly pupa ape view.JPG|Headon view of pupa showing the ape face resemblance
Image:Apefly pupa.JPG|Side view of pupa
</gallery>
The caterpillars of this butterfly like other members of the subfamily [[Miletinae]] are [[entomophagous]] and are predators of [[scale insect]]s.<ref>Venkatesha, M. G., L. Shashikumar, S.S.Gayathri Devi (2004) Protective devices of the carnivorous butterfly, ''Spalgis epius'' (Westwood) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) Current Science 87(5): 571-572[http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/sep102004/571.pdf PDF]</ref> The species unlike many other [[Lycaenidae|lycaenid butterflies]] is not [[myrmecophily|myrmecophilous]].<ref>Venkatesha, M. G. (2005) Why is homopterophagous butterfly, ''Spalgis epius'' (Westwood) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) amyrmecophilous? Current Science 89(2):245-246 [http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/jul252005/245.pdf PDF]</ref>
==Cited references==
<references/>
==References==
* Evans, W.H. (1932) The Identification of Indian Butterflies. (2nd Ed), Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
* Gaonkar, Harish (1996) Butterflies of the Western Ghats, India (including Sri Lanka) - A Biodiversity Assessment of a threatened mountain system. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society.
* Haribal, Meena (1994) Butterflies of Sikkim Himalaya and their Natural History.
* Kunte,Krushnamegh (2005) Butterflies of Peninsular India. Universities Press.
* Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957) Butterflies of the Indian Region, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India.
==See also==
*[[List of butterflies of India (Lycaenidae)]]
==External Links==
*[http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~EY4Y-TKNM/philframe.html Asahi] Correctly determined photos of ''Spalgis epius''
{{Lycaenidae-stub}}
[[Category:Lycaenidae]]