Dark Grass Blue

Zizeeria karsandra

Description:

Lycaenidae; Lycaeninae; Polyommatini; Zizeeria karsandra Moore 1865. According to Philippine Lepidoptera, the specimen shown here is a female.

Habitat:

This Dark Grass Blue was spotted in an uncultivated part of the farm which has become overgrown with a thick covering of Slender carpetweed (Glinus oppositifolius). This plant is native to the Philippines and has a number of dialectal names. In the national language, it is called Sarsalida and in the dialect spoken where I live, it is known as Papait (pronounced as three syllables Pa'pa'it).