| Papuan Cerulean (previously known as Dana nemophila) POLYOMMATINI, POLYOMMATINAE, LYCAENIDAE, PAPILIONOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
Male upper surface
(Photo: courtesy of CSIRO/CNC/CBG Photography Group,
Centre for Biodiversity Genomics,
University of Guelph)
The wings of the males are blue on top with narrow black margins and each firewiing has a small white patch. The hindwings are similar but with larger white patches.
The females are black with some blue areas, and have a large white patch on each wing.
Underneath, all four wings are black with
a large white patch, and several subterminal arcs
of pale blue chevrons.
Both sexes have a small tail on each hindwing,
and have a wingspan of about 4 cms.
Various subspecies occur on
The species has been found in
Further reading :
Arthur G. Butler,
On a Collection of Lepidoptera from Port Moresby, New Guinea,
The Annals and Magazine of Natural History,
Series 4, Volume 18, Number 105 (1876), pp. 245-246. No. 22.
 caterpillar |  butterflies |  Lepidoptera |  moths |  caterpillar |
(written 27 May 2026)