The Plain Plushblue

Flos apidanus

Description

Flos apidanus male has a dark purple upperwings with a narrow front edge, the female is more blue and shiny, the outline of the wings is somewhat regular at the costa and distal to the two wings. The underside of the wing is pale yellowish to brown in color, has whitish markings with a purple tinge. On the forewings there are discal and post-discal bands, on the hind wings there is a whitish discal band from the mid-costa to the mid-dorsum, at the base of the ribs of both wings there are small brown spots. This species has a short tail on veins 2 and toothed on veins 1b and 3.

Larva: larvae of Flos apidanus are yellowish green with green dorsal bands, have black or dark brown nectar glands in the 7th abdominal segment, their bodies are covered with short setae.

Pupa: Flos apidanus pupae are yellowish green in color, have a characteristic of lycaenid shape with slightly visible anal segments.

Population Size

-

Life Span

-

WEIGHT​

-

LENGTH

Wingspan from 34 - 38 mm.

Ar

Arboreal

He

Herbivore

Classification

KINGDOM

:

Animalia

PHYLUM

:

Arthropoda

CLASS

:

Insecta

ORDER

:

Lepidoptera

FAMILY

:

Lycaenidae

GENUS

:

Flos

SPECIES

:

Flos apidanus

Distribution

Floss apidanus can be found in rainforest areas, nature reserves or parks.

Geography

Continent : Asia

Country : Flos apidanus spread across the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Habits and Lifestyle

Floss apidanus can often be seen flying quickly near flowering shrubs or host plants, usually perched with closed wings but can also be seen fully exposing their wings to bask in sunny weather.

Lifestyle

Arboreal

Biome

Tropical rain forest

Climate Zone

Tropical

Diet and Nutrition

Flos apidanus larvae feed on young leaves of Terminalia catappa as well as from the Syzygium (Myrtaceae) species, including Syzygium glaucum and S. grande.

Diet : Herbivore (larva), Nectarivore

Mating Habits

Flos apidanus reproduce by laying eggs (oviparous), the eggs are laid in small groups on the petiole or the underside of the young leaves of the host plant. The eggs are white with a yellowish green tinge, are shaped like a bun and have a rough reticulate surface.

Life cycle (Metamorfosis) : Flos apidanus caterpillar passes through 5 instars before pupating, its body is yellowish green to the end. In the second to final instar, the caterpillar has black prothoracic shield and anal plate. The pupa phase occurs within a leaf shelter, the pupa is yellowish green, the body is protected by a silk belt. After 10 days, the butterflies emerge from the pupa.

Reproduction session : –

Incubation periods : 2-3 days

Independent age : at birth

Baby name : –

Baby carrying : –

Population

Population status : Not Evaluated (NE)

NE

DD

LC

NT

VU

EN

CR

EW

EX

PHOTO GALLERY

Reference

  1. Khoon, S. 2010. A Field Guide to The Butterflies of Singapore. Ink On Paper Communications, Singapore.
  2. Tan, H. and Khoon, K.S. 2012. Caterpillars of Singapore’s Butterflies. National Park Board, Singapore.
  3. Life History of The Plain Plushblue article 
  4. Flos apidamus on Wikipedia article