Zizyla hylax (tiny grass blue)

Family lycaenidae

Living in plains to low altitude mountain areas, the Zizyla hylax (tiny grass blue) seldom shows its appearance in the north, but in the south, especially in Kenting area, it is a dominant species. The adult tiny grass blue can be seen all year round, loving to visit flowers with high vigilance. It is the smallest in the local lycaenidae family. The male butterfly has dark brown wing surfaces with blue purple luster near wing bases, while the female has gray-black wings without any gloss. What differentiates the tiny grass blue from its approximate species is that its ventral wings are light brown, with two dark spots skew to the centers of wing bases on the fronts of fore ventral wings. The foodplants of its larvae are buds of acanthaceae family.

　　Photographed by Wang Chien-de