Zizina otis

Zizina otis otis Fabricius, 1787; Zizina otis indica Murray, 1874

 18-26 mm

Wingspan: 22-27 mm

Male upperside
Pale violet blue, with a silvery sheen in certain lights, forewing: a broad brown edging along the termen, which covers in some specimens quite the outer fourth of the wing, while in others is much narrower. It is always broadest at the apex and is bounded by an anticiliary darker line, beyond which the cilia are brownish at base and white outwardly.
Hindwing: anterior or costal third to half and apex brown; a slender black anticiliary line, beyond which the cilia are as in the forewing.
Male underside
Brownish grey. Forewing: a short, transverse, dusky lunule on the discocellulars and a transverse, anteriorly curved, discal series of seven minute black spots, all the spots more or less rounded, the posterior two geminate (paired), the discocellular lunule and each discal spot conspicuously encircled with white; the terminal markings beyond the above consist of an inner and an outer transverse subterminal series of dusky spots, each spot edged on the inner side very obscurely with dusky white, the inner line of spots lunular, the outer with the spots more or less rounded. Cilia dusky.
Hindwing: a transverse, curved, sub-basal series of four spots and an irregular transverse discal series of nine small spots black, each spot encircled narrowly with white. Of the discal spots the posterior four are placed in an outwardly oblique, slightly curved line, the middle two spots geminate; the three spots above these are placed in an oblique transverse line further outwards; lastly, the anterior two spots are posited one over the other and shifted well inwards, just above the apex of the cell; discocellular lunule and terminal markings as on the forewing, but the inner subterminal lunular line in the latter broader and more prominent. Cilia dusky. Antenna black, shafts ringed with white; head, thorax and abdomen brown, with a little blue scaling; beneath: white.
Female upperside
Brown, with a more or less distinct suffusion of violet blue at the bases of the wings, on the hindwing continued obscurely along the dorsum; both forewings and hindwings with slender anticiliary lines, darker than the ground colour.
Female underside
Ground colour slightly darker than in the male, markings precisely similar. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in the male, but the thorax and abdomen above without any blue scaling.
 
 

Male:-- Upper side : pale violet-blue, with a silvery sheen in certain lights. Fore wing: a broad brown edging along the termen, which covers in some specimens quite the outer fourth of the wing, while in others is much narrower. In all specimens it is broadest at apex and is bounded by an anticiliary darker line, beyond which the cilia are brownish at base and white outwardly. Hind wing : anterior or costal third to half and apex brown ; a slender black anticiliary line, beyond which the cilia are as in the fore wing. Underside : brownish grey. Fore wing : a short, transverse, dusky lunule on the discocellulars and a transverse, anteriorly curved, discal series of seven minute black spots, all the spots more or less rounded, the posterior two geminate, the discoeellular lunule and each discal spot conspicuously encircled with white ; the terminal markings beyond the above consist of an inner and an outer transverse subterminal series of dusky spots, each spot edged on the inner side very obscurely with dusky white, the inner line of spots lunular, the outer with the spots more or less rounded. Cilia dusky. Hind wing : a transverse, curved, subbasal series of four spots and an irregular transverse discal series of nine small spots black, each spot encircled narrowly with white. Of the (fiscal spots the posterior four are placed in an outwardly oblique, slightly curved line, the middle two spots geminate ; the three spots above these are placed in an oblique transverse line further outwards ; lastly, the anterior two spots are posited one over the other and shifted well inwards, just above the apex of the cell ; discocellular lunule and terminal markings as on the fore wing, but the inner subterminal lunular line in the latter broader and more prominent. Cilia dusky. Antennae black, shafts ringed with white ; head, thorax and abdomen brown, with a little blue scaling ; beneath : white. Female:-- Upper side : brown, with a more or less distinct suffusion of violet-blue at the bases of the wings, on the hind wing continued obscurely along the dorsum ; both fore and hind wings with slender anticiliary lines, darker than the ground-colour. Underside : ground-colour slightly darker than in the male , markings precisely similar. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen as in the male , but the thorax and abdomen above without any blue scaling.

Z. indica , Murray, (now ssp. indica) can be distinguished from the nominate type species by the large size of the discal black spots on the underside of its forewings. However, forms intermediate between Z.o.otis and Z.o.indica are present throughout the range.

Larval Host Plants: Fabaceae: : Alysicarpus vaginalis, Desmodium heterophyllum, Sesbania bispinosa: Zygophyllaceae: : Tribulus terrestris

Flight close to ground, seen in flowers