We stayed in an apartment in Tamsui, Taiwan, where the balcony overflowed with colorful blooms. Different species of butterflies visited us from time to time. Among them was the delicate Prosotas dubiosa asbolodes, whose markings resemble those of Prosotas nora formosana but with wider, denser sinuous bands on the hindwings.
I learned that Prosotas dubiosa asbolodes is actually a subspecies endemic to Taiwan, found in both urban and wild settings — wastelands, forest edges, valleys, and grasslands — mainly in the low-elevation regions of central and southern Taiwan, with additional records on Orchid Island (Lanyu).
This butterfly is dimorphic: males and females look distinctly different, with males showing a purplish-gray sheen on the upper wings and females appearing browner with only a hint of blue near the wing base. Like related species in its genus, it produces multiple generations per year. It's an agile flier that favors treetops and readily visits flowers, and males of related Prosotas species are known to gather at damp ground to absorb moisture — a behavior likely shared by this subspecies as well.
Confirmed host plants in the Fabaceae family include Pithecellobium dulce, Acacia farnesiana, and Samanea saman.
我們住在台灣淡水的一間公寓裡，那裡的陽台上繁花似錦，色彩繽紛。不時有各種蝴蝶造訪，其中便包括體態纖巧的密紋波灰蝶；這種蝴蝶的斑紋與波灰蝶頗為相似，但其後翅上的波狀帶紋更寬、更密集。
密紋波灰蝶實際上是台灣特有的一個亞種，棲息於城市及野外環境（如荒地、林緣、山谷和草原），主要分佈在台灣中南部的低海拔地區，此外在蘭嶼也有分佈記錄。
這種蝴蝶是二型性的：雄性和雌性看起來明顯不同，雄性上翅呈紫灰色光澤，雌性呈棕色，僅靠近翅根處有一絲藍色。與該屬的相關物種一樣，它每年產生多個世代。它是一種敏捷的飛行者，喜歡樹冠並喜歡訪花，並且已知相關波灰蝶屬物種的雄性聚集在溼地吸水習性 - 這種行為也可能是該亞種所共有的。
寄主植物包括了豆科之金龜樹、金合歡、相思樹、摩鹿加合歡、大葉合歡、蘇利南合歡、雨豆樹等。
Notes 筆記
- Prosotas is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae. The species of this genus are found on New Guinea in the Australasian realm and the Indomalayan realm. The appearance characteristics of the Prosotas dubiosa asbolodes are similar to that of the Prosotas nora formosana. The sinuous bands on the hindwings of the Prosotas dubiosa asbolodes are wider, so the bands appear denser.
- With male and female dimorphism. It lasts for more than one generation a year and often appears in wastelands, forest edges, valleys, grasslands and other environments. Since some host plants are horticultural plants, it may also appear in urban environments. Agile flight. Adult butterflies often move on the treetops and like to visit flowers. Male butterflies have the habit of absorbing water in wetlands.
- Host plants in the Fabaceae family include Pithecellobium dulce, Acacia farnesiana, Acacia confusa, Falcataria falcata, Albizia lebbeck, Calliandra surinamensis, Samanea saman, etc.
- 波灰蝶屬是灰蝶科中的一個屬。分佈在澳大利亞界的新幾內亞及東洋界。密紋波灰蝶與波灰蝶外型特徵類似，密紋波灰蝶後翅腹面波狀紋列較寬，以致翅腹班紋看起來較密。
- 具雌雄二型性。一年多世代，多出現於荒地、林緣、溪谷、草原等環境，且因部分寄主植物為園藝植物，所以都市環境亦有機會出現。飛行活潑靈活。成蝶常於樹冠上活動，好訪花，雄蝶有溼地吸水習性。
- 寄主植物包括了豆科之金龜樹、金合歡、相思樹、摩鹿加合歡、大葉合歡、蘇利南合歡、雨豆樹等。
References 參考資料
- 臺灣蝴蝶網路圖鑑: 密紋波灰蝶
- 臺灣生命大百科: Prosotas dubiosa asbolodes Hsu & Yen, 2006
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