About Arhopala atosia (Hewitson, 1863)
Arhopala atosia is a species of butterfly in the lycaenid family. It was originally described by William Chapman Hewitson, with the published scientific name dated 1863. Multiple recognized subspecies occupy different ranges across Southeast Asia: the nominal subspecies A. a. atosia is found in Borneo, Sumatra, Bangka, and Pulau Laut; A. a. malayana, described in 1903 by Bethune-Baker, occurs in Thailand, Indochina, Peninsular Malaya, and Singapore; A. a. aria, first named in 1932 by Evans, is native to Burma; A. a. jahara, described in 1941 by Corbet, is found in Langkawi and Mergui; and A. a. aricia, first named in 1889 by Staudinger, occurs on Palawan. On their upper wing surfaces, males are typically not lilac in color, instead being mostly dark blue with a very faint violet tint, though some more intensely lilac-tinged specimens have been recorded. On the underside of their wings, the species is very similar to Arhopala pseudomuta. In females of Arhopala atosia, the postdiscal band of the hindwing is more irregular than in A. pseudomuta, and the 4th spot of the postmedian band of the forewing is positioned even further distally. Females have a black distal wing margin that is approximately 3 mm wide.
