Pareronia ceylanica

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Pareronia ceylanica, the dark wanderer, is a medium-sized butterfly in the Pieridae family (the yellows and whites). It is found in Sri Lanka and India, including the southern regions, the Western Ghats, and the southern Andaman Islands.

Male: upperside is a deeper blue. The forewing has a broad terminal black border and usually lacks the bluish-white subterminal spot series (a few individuals may have one or two small spots, but not the conspicuous series seen in P. valeria hippia). The hindwing border is very broad, broader than the forewing border. The underside is similar to P. valeria.

Female: resembles the female of P. valeria but has broader outer black margins beyond the discal markings on both forewings and hindwings. The subterminal spots are farther from the edge. On the underside, the terminal black borders are broader and darker, and the subterminal spots on the apex of the forewing and hindwing are absent or obscured by the dark margin. Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen are similar to P. valeria hippia.

Habitat and range: southern India, the Western Ghats, the southern Andaman Islands, and Sri Lanka.

Larval food plant: Capparis heyneana.