Black Rajah (Charaxes solon cerynthus)

Rather uncommon butterfly flies throughout the year of all climatic zones. But it is much common below 650 m elevations, especially in the dry zone forests. It is less common in the intermediate zone and rare in the wet zone. In the dry zone its main flight season is start of the northeast monsoons in October and in other zones it is before the arrival of southwest monsoon in April. Black Rajah is a butterfly of forest canopy though it is often seen on animal droppings. Hill-topping phenomena is observed of male Black Rajahs*. Its larva feeds on leaves of Tamarindus indica (Tamarind/Indian Date/සියඹලා) and Croton tiglium (ජයපාල). The larva is active during the night.  

* Male flying up to and staying on a hill top waiting for females.

Indian Awl King (Choaspes benjaminii)

 Indian Awl King is a rather uncommon butterfly restricted to the hill country forests above 1500 m a.s.l. But there are few records of observing it at some slightly lower elevations as well. Its larval food plants are Meliosma simplicifolia (ඇල්බැද්ද) and Meliosma arnottiana (නික දවුල). Male Indian Awl Kings are usually settle on wet roads, stream beds and strongly attracted by bird droppings. As per W. Ormiston who wrote about this butterfly in 1924 it was a fairly common butterfly of the hills and was formerly very plentiful on the cart road below the Haputale jungle, but he noted that since the Forest Department has cleared out the original vegetation and planted Eucalyptus in its places this and other butterflies have, of course disappeared. But he mentioned that it was still common between Haputale and Ohiya. He had collected it from Maskeliya, the hills above Ratnapura, Kandy as well as Haldummula which is rather low as 3500 ft.

Ceylon Hedge Blue/Sri Lanka Hedge Blue (Udara lanka)

An endemic butterfly common in the forested areas above 1100 m elevations. It is much common in the first four months of the year, especially at the Horton Plains National Park and the vicinity. Both male and female flies in the canopy to feed on nectar of forest flowers. The male also descends to the ground to mudsip and to feed on scats. Its larva feeds on flower buds and seed pods of Smithia blanda. Persicaria chinensis is also identified as a larval food plant of this butterfly. 

 

Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii)

 Rather rare insect confined to the marshes, swamps and lakes of the central hills (Mainly to the vicinity of Nuwaraeliya and Horton Plains National Park.) 

Rare Ace (Halpe egena)

Rare Ace is a rare and endemic butterfly. Its recent records are only from the higher elevations at Knuckles range and Peak Wilderness Sanctuary. However historical records available from Kalupahana, Ratnapura and Haldummulla-Horton Plains road (Ormiston W., 1924). Rare Ace is more or less similar to Ceylon Ace and some authors believes that both are one and same species while Ceylon Ace found at lower elevations and Rare Ace is restricted to the higher hills or that they are seasonal forms. The only consistent difference of both is the ground color and the ground color of Ceylon Ace is dark brown while Rare Ace is dark purplish brown. The immature stages of both species are also quite similar. Its larva feeds on leaves of Davidsea attenuata.

Common Guava Blue/Woodapple Blue (Virachola isocrates)

Rather common butterfly but seldom seen since it inhabits mainly the canopy. Widely distributed in arid, dry and intermediate zones of the country where its principal larval food plant Limonia acidissima (Woodapple/දිවුල්) grows. Its main flight season is from June to September. Larva feeds on the soft pulp of the Woodapple fruit after eating its way into the fruit through its hard shell. It also prevents the fruit fall by spinning a web around its stalk and top of the fruit. In Sri Lanka, Common Guava Blue  larva also feeds on කුකුරුමාන් (Catunaregam spinosa) and දෙළුම්/Pomergranate (Punica granatum) fruits.

A Sri Lankan Endemic Birdwing Butterfly Leaving Its Chrysalis

Opaque 6-Lineblue (Nacaduba beroe minima)

An uncommon butterfly found in wet zone forests up to  900 m a.s.l.  Its larva feeds on flowers and flower buds of Dalbergia pseudo-sissoo (බඹර වැල්)

Smoky-winged Threadtail (Elattoneura leucostigma)

An endemic very rare damselfly inhabiting small streams of montane forests and marshlands in the central hills. 

Green Pergesa Hawkmoth (Pergesa acteus)

Location - Polgasowita
Wing expanse - 6 to 7 cm
Food Plants - Elephant Ear/Caladium bicolor (Sujeeva Gunasena, Personal communication), පණු අල /Typhonium trilobatum (Moore F., 1882-3)
Life Cycle - https://www.facebook.com/kamanijeeva/media_set?set=a.1299671540099821&type=3
Reference - The Lepidoptera of Ceylon - F. Moore, F.Z.S. Vol 2 Page 23.
External Links - https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/322014-Pergesa-acteus

Dark Forestdamsel (Platysticta apicalis)

Locally common insect inhabiting streams and rivulets of southwestern and central forested areas from lowlands to mid-hills. It occurs mainly during April to September. (Bedjanic, M., K. et. al. 2014)

Adam's Shadowdamsel (Ceylonosticta adami)

Adam's Shadowdamsel is one of the rarest endemic damselfly so far recorded only from few localities of the Knuckles range and its outskirts in the north-central part of the country . It was originally described from specimens collected from Madugoda near Urugalla in 1932 by F.C. Fraser.  After more than seven decades Karen Conniff observed and photographed it in Simpson's forest near Hunnasfalls in April 2006 and again in October 2007 and 2010. Karen Conniff and Matjaz Bedjanic observed a single juvenile female near Urugalla in end of May 2009. Matjaz Bedjanic also reported it from two streams in Simpson's forest in October 2012. Above pictures were taken at Dothalugala Camp Site area of the Knuckles mountain range.

Serendib Forestdamsel (Platysticta serendibica)

Common endemic damselfly inhabiting small streams in secondary and primary forests as well as the degraded habitats of the central and southwestern parts of the country. Much common in the wet low country but occurs also up to about 1000 m a.s.l. in the hills.  

Ceylon Treebrown (Lethe daretis)

A rather common endemic butterfly restricted to hill country forests above 1500 m a.s.l. It flies all the year round though much common from March to April. Its larva feeds probably on leaves of  a bamboo species (Sinarundinaria debilis) occurs at the higher elevations (Only egg laying observed so far) 

Singalese Hedge Blue (Udara singalensis)

An uncommon endemic butterfly flies in forested areas above 1500 m elevations. It is much common from February to May. Singalese Hedge Blue is usually found settling in stream beds or on wet roads. No information available on its early stages of the life cycle. 

Crimson Tip (Colotis danae danae)

A common butterfly restricted to the thorn scrub and waste places along the northwestern coastal arid zone from Eluwankulam to the Jaffna.  It flies year-round though much common from October to January just after the first rain of the northeast monsoon. Crimson Tip is a very active insect and it flies rapidly closer to the ground among thorny vegetation. Its only known larval host plant is Cadaba fruticosa of the family Capparaceae.

Striped Pierrort (Tarucus nara)

Common butterfly flies only in the northern part of the country from coastal thorn scrub of the western coast from Mannar to Pooneryn and throughout the Jaffna Peninsula. Its main flight season is from October to March. Striped Pierrort larva feeds on leaves of the Ziziphus mauritiana often attended by ants. Ovipositing on Ziziphus xylopyrus is also observed.

Yellow Orange Tip (Ixias pyrene cingalensis)

Rather common butterfly flies all the year round, mainly in the dry zone scrub jungles, forests and waste places. It also occurs in the intermediate zone. Its numbers increase with the northeast monsoons. Males sometimes settle on wet patches on the roads and river beds. It is a migratory species and larva feeds on Capparis sepiaria and Capparis grandis of the family Capparaceae .

Plain Orange Tip (Colotis aurora)

Plain Orange Tip occurs only in coastal waste places and thorn scrub of the northern and north western part of the country. It is more numerous at the end of the north east monsoon though few may be seen all the year round. It flies usually closer to the ground. Its larva feeds on Cadaba fruticosa of the family Capparaceae.

Hampson's Hedge Blue (Acytolepis lilacea moorei)

An uncommon butterfly of hills and lowlands of Sabaragamuwa and Uva provinces. It flies with the start of the northeast monsoon rains and probably again from April to May. (Van der Poorten G.M. & Van der Poorten N.E., 2016). No data available of its early stages or of larval food plants. Males mud puddling on wet soil, bird droppings or  scats along forest roads and jungle trails.