Jamides bochus

Jamides bochus (Stoll, 1782)
Dark Cerulean
(previously known as Lycaena aleuas)
POLYOMMATINI, POLYOMMATINAE, LYCAENIDAE, PAPILIONOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

The Caterpillars of this species are green and covered in fine hairs. The caterpillars have been found feeding on :

Moulmein rosewood (Millettia peguensis, FABACEAE), and

Sokram (Xylia dolabrifornis, FABACEAE).

Male upper surface
(Photo: courtesy of Alan Cassidy, Thailand)

The forewings of the males are blue on top with a large black area around the wingtip. The hindwings are blue with a pale area along the hind margin.

Female upper surface
(Photo: courtesy of Alan Cassidy, Thailand)

The females on top are dark brown with some blue areas.

underside
(Photo: courtesy of Indra Bone, Christmas Island)

Underneath, both sexes are fawn with arcs of white markings under all four wings. Each hindwings also each have a orange-ringed black spot underneath beside the short white-tipped black tail.

male, listed as Papilio bochus,
engraving by Gerrit Wartenaar, printed and painted by Firma S.J. Baalde, for Caspar Stoll,
Uitlandsche kapellen voorkomende in de drie waereld-deelen, Vol. 4 (1782), Plate CCCXCI, fig. C,
image courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library, digitized by Smithsonian Libraries.

Various subspecies occur across Asia, including

Nepal<

Singapore,

Sulawesi,

and in particular subspecies bochus has been found on

Christmas Island,

which is an Australian island, but the species has not actually been found on mainland Australia.