Logania distanti


Logania distanti, the dark mottle, is a small but striking butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues. It was first described by Georg Semper in 1889.

Description

Male

Upperside dark brown. Forewing: a medial dull whitish spot at base of interspace 3 extended upwards on to vein 4 and below into interspace 2. Hindwing; uniform, immaculate. Underside: very pale dull brown, with darker brown mottlings and striae, that on the forewing are absent on a broad streak from base outwards along the basal half of the dorsum, this area pale brown without markings; a dark obscure spot at apex of cell and an incomplete similarly obscure dark transverse discal band. On the hindwing the mottlings coalesce and form three or four very ill-defined, obscure, transverse, somewhat broad bands. Head, thorax and abdomen dark brown. Sex-mark: the base of vein 4 swollen and bare of scales.

Female

"Above black, a round dull white discal area on the forewing from just above the upper median almost to the submedian vein. Below irregularly speckled and variegated; forewing with the costal and apical parts ochreous brown, the rest blackish. Hindwing also tinged with ochreous, a submarginal dark area, and obscure dark transverse bands. Hindwing not angled, the margin entire."

Range

Assam - Myanmar, Malaya, Borneo?, Thailand, Laos, Sumatra.

Taxonomy

The butterfly is also referred to as Logania massalia Doherty, 1891.