The Dark Mottle is a small but striking butterfly found in India that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues

Lycaenidae

The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...

 family.

Male

Upperside dark brown. Fore wing: a medial dull whitish spot at base of interspace 3 extended upwards on to vein 4 and below into interspace 2. Hind wing; uniform, immaculate. Underside: very pale dull brown, with darker brown mottlings and striae, that on the fore wing are absent on a broad streak from base outwards along the basal half of the dorsum, this area pale brown without markings; a dark obscure spot at apex of cell and an incomplete similarly obscure dark transverse discal band. On the hind wing the mottlings coalesce and form three or four very ill-defined, obscure, transverse, somewhat broad bands. Head, thorax and abdomen dark brown. Sex-mark: the base of vein 4 swollen and bare of scales.

Female

"Above black, a round dull white discal area on the fore wing from just above the upper median (vein 4) almost to the submedian vein (vein 1). Below irregularly speckled and variegated; fore wing with the costal and apical parts ochreous brown, the rest blackish. Hind wing also tinged with ochreous, a submarginal dark area, and obscure dark transverse bands. Hind wing not angled, the margin entire." (Doherty quoted in Bingham)

External links

• Asahi Correctly determined photos of Logania distanti

See also

• Lycaenidae
  Lycaenidae
  The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
  
  
• List of butterflies of India
• List of butterflies of India (Lycaenidae)