Rapala manea is a butterfly

Butterfly

A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...

 of the Lycaenidae

Lycaenidae

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

 family. It is found in most of the Oriental ecozone (excluding Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

).

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 24-26 mm. Adult males have dark brown wings with a hint of purple on the cell area of the wings. The underside is greyish brown with two irregular bands. Females are lighter and have androconial patches at the costal margin of the hindwing.

The larvae of ssp. schistacea feed on the flowers of Rosaceae

Rosaceae

Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...

, Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbiaceae, the Spurge family are a large family of flowering plants with 300 genera and around 7,500 species. Most are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are also shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti....

, Combretaceae

Combretaceae

Combretaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 600 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in 18 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, Combretum imberbe. Three genera, Conocarpus, Laguncularia and Lumnitzera, grow in mangrove habitats ....

 and Leguminosae species, including Quisqualis indica

Quisqualis indica

Quisqualis indica also known as the Chinese honeysuckle, Rangoon Creeper, and Combretum indicum is a vine with red flower clusters and is found in Asia. It is found in many other parts of the world either as a cultivated ornamental or run wild...

and Acacia caesia. They are attended by ants. The larvae are dull rose red. Pupation takes place in a pinkish pupa, mottled with black. It is attached to the stem or a leaf of the host plant.

Subspecies

• Rapala manea manea (Sulawesi)
• Rapala manea schistacea (Moore, 1879) (India to northern Thailand, Sri Lanka, southern Yunnan, possibly the Andamans)
• Rapala manea chozeba (Hewitson, 1863) (southern Thailand to Singapore, Sumatra, possibly Borneo)
• Rapala manea asikana Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Java, possibly Bali)
• Rapala manea enganica Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Enggano)
• Rapala manea lombokiana Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Lombok)
• Rapala manea baweanica Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Bawean)
• Rapala manea philippinensis Fruhstorfer, 1912 (Philippines (Luzon, Mindanao, Palawan))