Silver Forget-me-not

Description:

Lycaenidae; Lycaeninae; Polyommatini; Catochrysops strabo luzonensis Tite, 1959. In my last spotting of a C. s. luzonensis (see Notes) I could not determine the sex of the specimen, because it did not open its wings to give me even a glimpse of the dorsal surfaces. I decided that it was probably a female because the posterior of its abdomen was curved downwards, touching the surface of the leaf on which it was standing. So, it looked like it might be about to start laying eggs. This time, however, there can be no doubt that the butterfly in this spotting is a female, because it opened its wings several times, wide enough to get some photos of the upper wing surfaces. The pictures in Philippine Lepidoptera show the sexual dimorphism very well. The males have pale blue upper wing surfaces with very little in the way of patterns or marks, but the females have unmistakable strong, dark markings which which cannot be missed when it opens its wings.

Habitat:

Spotted in the rice mill backyard on unidentified foliage. This is a quiet place where the general public do not have access and the rice mill workers rarely have any reason to go there. The vegetation is cut down perhaps twice a year, but only in the central part of the yard. There are many little corners which are almost inaccessible and that is where the Polyommatini can be spotted almost every morning of the year.

Notes:

A recent spotting of a Silver Forget-me-not in the same place - https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/83...