Lesser Grass Blue (Male)

The Lesser Grass Blue (Zizina otis) is a species of blue butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia.

Male upperside is pale violet-blue, with a silvery sheen in certain lights. Forewing has a broad brown edging along the termen, which covers in some specimens quite the outer fourth of the wing, while in others is much narrower. It is always broadest at the apex and is bounded by an anticiliary darker line, beyond which the cilia are brownish at base and white outwardly. Hindwing: anterior or costal third to half and apex brown; a slender black anticiliary line, beyond which the cilia are as in the forewing. Male underside is brownish grey.

Zizina otis oriens (Butler, 1883) is the subspecies occurring in the Philippines.

Recorded hostplants: Alysicarpus vaginalis, Desmodium triflorum, Mimosa pudica (Sensitive plant/Makahiya plant), Zornia diphylla (all Papilionaceae).