Description
A medium sized blue with a wingspan of 25-30 mm.

The males are a pale violet blue above with prominent veins. The two tornal spots are of equal size on the upper and under sides and are both crowned with orange - a character that distinguishes it from the similar looking Plains Cupid.

The front and outer margins of the upper sides of the female is bounded by a wide black band, the center is a dark shiny blue.

In both sexes, the underside ground color is a light gray brown. The size, shape and color of the bands and spots are small and indistinct, specially in older specimens.

Similar species
Plains Cupid - The  ground color of the under side is much darker and the bands are wider and well defined. There is only one large tornal spot crowned with orange.

Indian Cupid - The  ground color of the under side is almost white. The bands on the under sides are much narrow and the two black spots at the tornus are both crowned by a large bright orange cap.

Forget Me Not - The largest of the four similar species. The outer margin of the forewings are almost straight. There are two back spots on the underside of the hind wings.

Status, distribution and habitat
A common butterfly of the dry and intermediate zone of the island. Commonest in the months before the onset of the south-west monsoon. Its habitat includes open fields, scrub jungle or farmsteads with leguminous crops such as mung bean, cow pea and black gram, which are its larval host plants. It does not reach the status of a serious pest in Sri Lanka..  

Habits
It flies fast, keeping to within a few feet above ground. It nectars on small wild flowers and congregates in fair numbers near its larval host plants.

Early stages
The eggs are laid singly on the flower buds or their stalks. The larvae feed on the flower buds and developing pods, and whilst among them, they are well camouflaged and hard to see, though the presence of ants attending to them usually give them away. In later instars, the larvae bore into more mature pods and only emerge to either migrate into another pod or to pupate.

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Danaidae | Satyridae | Amathusiidae | Nymphalidae | Acraeidea | Libytheidae | Riodinidae | Lycaenidae | Pieridae | Papilionidae | Hesperidae