Philiris radicala Müller 2014

Philiris radicala is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Western Province, Papua New Guinea.

The length of the forewings is about 17 mm. The ground colour of the forewings is bright shining turquoise, the costa and termen broadly black. The hindwings are bright shining turquoise, the termen broadly black.

♂ (Figs 38–40): Forewing length 17 mm, antenna 9 mm (holotype). Head, palpus and thorax dark grey dorsally, white ventrally, abdomen dark grey dorsally, white ventrally, frons dark grey with white eye ring; legs white with black areas on tibiae; antenna shaft black, ringed conspicuously with white between segments, apex of club tipped with brown. Fore wing termen slightly convex, inner margin very slightly bowed near base, apex slightly rounded; upperside bright shining turquoise, costa and termen broadly black, 2 mm wide at tornus but up to 5 mm wide at apex, the boundary between the dark border and shining turquoise area is straight between veins 2 and 8, cilia white but broadly black at vein ends, giving chequered appearance; underside matt white with apical area suffused with black scales, termen and vein ends distinctly black, cilia as in upperside. Hind wing rounded; upperside bright shining turquoise, termen broadly black (2 mm wide), between inner margin and vein 1a dark brown-black, grading to light grey-brown basally, apex broadly black, costa broadly light grey, basally grey-brown, cilia white but broadly black at vein ends, giving chequered appearance; underside matt white, subterminal area narrowly suffused with black scales, termen and vein ends distinctly black, cilia as in upperside. Male genitalia (Figs 67, 68): Vinculum and tegumen ring oval, enlarged towards sociuncus, sociuncus broad, socii with lateral margin pointed apically, dorsally sub-rounded, socii separated by slightly protruding sinus, saccus tapered posteriorly, brachium tapered dorsally and slightly hooked at apex; valva slightly asymmetrical, with left valva longer than left valva, valva equilateral triangle-shaped; phallus slender, with zone of intricate cornuti in post-zonal section, vesica with central ‘tongue’ apically. ♀ (Figs 41, 42): Forewing length (17 mm), antenna length (9 mm), antenna, head, palpus, thorax, legs and abdomen similar to male. Fore wing termen slightly convex, inner margin very slightly bowed near base, apex slightly rounded; upperside dark brown-black, large area of white extending from base along inner margin to postmedian area and occupying about two-thirds of cell, margins of this pale patch suffused with powder blue, costal half of discocellulars heavily brown-black, intruding into pale area, cilia as in male; underside as in male. Hind wing rounded; upperside dark brown-black, apical area broadly grey-white, cell and basal area along vein 1b grey-white with powder blue suffusion, inner margin and basal part of costa light grey-brown, discocellulars heavily brown-black, intruding into pale area, cilia as in male; underside as in male.

Western Province, Papua New Guinea.