Dark grass blue facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dark grass blue
Scientific classification
Synonyms
Polyommatus karsandra Moore, 1865

The dark grass blue (Zizeeria karsandra) is a small, pretty butterfly. A scientist named Frederic Moore first described it in 1865.

You can find this butterfly in many places around the world! It lives from the southern Mediterranean Sea all the way to India, Sri Lanka, and even parts of Australia. It also flies in places like Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. This butterfly belongs to a group called the lycaenids, which are often called "blues" because many of them have blue wings.

What Does the Dark Grass Blue Look Like?

When Frederic Moore first described this butterfly in 1865, he noted its colors and patterns.

The top side of its wings is a purplish-brown color. The underside is a grayish-brown. The edges of the wings have a thin brown line.

On the front wings, you'll see a black spot inside a special cell. There's also a black line and another spot above it. A row of six black spots crosses the wing. Each of these black spots has a white circle around it. Near the edges, there are rows of pale brown, white-bordered shapes that look like crescent moons.

The back wings have twelve black spots. These also have white circles around them. There's a pale line that is also circled in white. Near the edges, there are rows of pale brown spots with whitish circles. Another row of whitish, moon-shaped marks is also present. The tiny hairs along the wing edges are grayish-brown.

What Do Dark Grass Blue Caterpillars Eat?

The caterpillars of the dark grass blue butterfly eat different kinds of plants. These plants are called "food plants."

Some of the plants they have been seen eating include:

• Zornia diphylla
• Amaranthus viridis (sometimes with the help of a tiny ant called Tapinoma melanocephalum)
• Amaranthus tricolor
• Melilotus indica
• Medicago sativa
• Trifolium alexandrinum
• Glinus lotoides
• Tribulus cistoides
• Tribulus terrestris

Pictures of the Dark Grass Blue

• 

  Upperside (male)

• 

  Upperside (female)

• 

  In Hyderabad, India