Bug FAQDark Cerulean
Jamides bochus · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Lycaenidae
Also called: King Cerulean, Dark Caerulean
The male’s upper wings are jet-black with a deep metallic blue base, while the underside is dark chocolate brown. It lives across the Indomalayan realm, from Peninsular India and Sri Lanka through Myanmar to the Malayan region, the Andamans, Taiwan and Australia. Its caterpillars feed on the leaves of Xylia dolabrifornis and the flowers of Butea frondosa, and have also been recorded on Millettia peguensis.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males have velvety jet-black forewings with a deep metallic blue base on the upperside. The underside of the wings is dark chocolate brown.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on Xylia dolabrifornis and the flowers of Butea frondosa. Other recorded food plants include Millettia peguensis.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The larva taken in June at Karwar looks almost identical to that of Catochrysops pandava.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
A larva was collected in June at Karwar.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its native range is the Indomalayan realm.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The larva is hardly distinguishable from Catochrysops pandava, and the pupa is also indistinguishable from that species.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants do the caterpillars eat?
They feed on Xylia dolabrifornis, the flowers of Butea frondosa, and have also been found on Millettia peguensis.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is Dark Cerulean found?
It occurs throughout the Indomalayan realm, including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, the Andamans, the Malayan region, Taiwan and Australia.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell a male Dark Cerulean apart?
Males have velvety jet-black forewings with a deep metallic blue base on the upperside and a dark chocolate-brown underside.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lycaenidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamides_bochus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.