Dark Ciliate Blue (Anthene seltuttus)
Appearance: Male upperside blue; female upperside dark brown with more or less extended blue basal suffusion. Both sexes have two or three black tornal spots on the hind wing. Underside of both sexes brown with characteristic pattern of white lines and a single black tornal spot on the hind wing.
Wingspan: 2.4 cm
Season: Several generations all around the year.
Range: Northern NT and north-eastern QLD.
Habitat: Lowland rainforest and monsoon forest.
Photo: Female, Daintree NP, QLD, 29 / 12 / 2005.
Notes
The Dark Ciliate Blue is a common species of rainforests and monsoon forests in the tropical and subtropical areas of the northern NT and the east coast of QLD from Cape York all the way south to about Rockhampton.
There are a few similar species across northern and eastern Australia, but the Dark Ciliate Blue can normally be distinguished from these through details in the wing pattern, in particular on the underside of the wings.
Additional Photos
