Pseudolycaena marsyas

Pseudolycaena marsyas
	Pseudolycaena marsyas from Guyana. Mounted specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Pseudolycaena
Species:	P. marsyas
Binomial name
	Pseudolycaena marsyas; (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
	Papilio marsyas Linnaeus, 1758; Pseudolycaena marsyas Linnaeus, 1758 by Wallengren, 1863; Thecla cybele Godman & Salvin, 1896; Thecla dorcas Druce, 1907; Pseudolycaena marsyas nellyae Lamas, 1981;

Pseudolycaena marsyas, common name Cambridge blue or giant hairstreak or Marsyas hairstreak, is a species of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae.

Description

Pseudolycaena marsyas has a wingspan of about 40–50 millimetres (1.6–2.0 in), a quite huge size in hairstreaks (hence the common name of giant hairstreak). The uppersides of the wings are usually metallic blue, with hues varying from cobalt blue to turquoise-blue depending on location. The apex of the wings are black and lightly falcade in males and the hindwings are tailed in both sexes, with a small black spot. The undersides of the wings are pale blue-greyish, with several black spots and thin markings.

Distribution

This wide-ranging species occurs in Central and South America from Mexico up to Argentina, in semi-open forests at an elevation of about 0–1,000 metres (0–3,281 ft) above sea level.

Subspecies

Many forms varying in the hue of the blue but these are allocated to a single subspecies - Pseudolycaena marsyas marsyas.

References

Austin, G.T. ; L.D. Miller & J.Y. Miller, 2007: Taxonomic comments on Pseudolycaena Wallengren (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Theclinae: Eumaeini). Bulletin of the Allyn Museum 149: 1-22.
Funet

External links

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