Butterfly Extravaganza - Third and Final Instalment - Lycaenidae & Papilionidae

 

“Roll out those hazy, crazy, lazy days of Summer

Those days of soda and pretzels and beer, cheer, butterflies.”

(Apologies to Nat King Cole.)

An amazing Summer of butterflies is but a distant memory but there remain 2 groups of butterflies to be explored -  Swallowtails (Papilionidae), and Blues (Lycaenidae).  A splendid cache of images, collected from devoted fans of butterflies, remains to be shared.

PAPILIONIDAE – SWALLOWTAILS – 3 TRIBES

Swallowtail”  refers to a tail-like extension at the edge of the hind-wing.  Not all swallowtail butterflies have this extension.  However, all swallowtail larvae possess an eversible organ(able to be turned inside out) behind their head, which can exude an evil-smelling substance to deter attackers.  Eggs are most often laid on the under side of  fresh, young leaves from the food plant of choice. Pupae often are attached in a semi-upright position, secured at one end and supported in place by a guide thread (girdle).

LEPTOCIRINI  Tribe

BLUE Triangle (Graphium sarpedon)

Annette Bourke

                                        

Male 57mm, Female 60mm.  Common, erratic flight. Rainforest, riparian, parks, gardens.  Food plants- Rose Walnut (Endiandra discolor), (Cryptocarya, Litsea and Neolitsea spp)

PALE Green Triangle / PALE Triangle (Graphium euryplus)

Cecile Espigole

Ian Smith

Male 59mm, Female 62mm.  Common, local butterfly with pale turquoise patches and spots. Some red spots on underside.  Flies rapidly.  Usually quite high in the canopy.  Dry vine scrubs, riparian zone, suburban parks and gardens. 

Food plants: Canary Beech (Polyalthia nitidissima), Zig-zag vine (Melodorum leichardtii).

PAPLIONINI tribe

CLEARWING Swallowtail (Cressida cressida)

Kerrie O'Donnell

Allan Pratt

Kerrie O'Donnell

Male 80mm, Female 70mm.  Common, slow flight.  Frequents open forest, woodlands and rocky slopes.  Wings of the female are almost entirely transparent, hence common name – Big Greasy.

Food plants – (Aristolochia meridionalis, A. acuminate- from North Queensland).

FOUR-BARRED Swordtail (Protographium leosthenes)

Ian Smith

Male 49mm, Female 53mm.  Common, rapid flight often near the ground.  Distinctive appearance.  Dry vine forests and at rainforest edges.

Food plant – Zig zag vine (Melodorum leichhardtii). 

ORCHARD Swallowtail (Papilio aegeus)

                          

Arthur & Joan Hammond 

Ian Smith

Ian Smith

Male 102mm, Female 108mm.  Common, very distinct.  Male and female are quite distinctive in appearance in upperwing.  Slow flight.  A range of habitats – open forests, parks, gardens, orchards, rainforest edges.  Once observed laying eggs on plants in commercial nursery outlet.

Food plants- (Flindersia spp.) Cluster Berry (Micromelum minutum) and citruses, Sandfly Bush (Zieria smithii).

RICHMOND Birdwing (Ornithoptera richmondia)

No local photograph available

Male 105mm, Female 115mm.  Common in some areas.   Community efforts to support its re-introduction continue.  Classified as vulnerable by Queensland Government.  Control of Dutchman’s Pipe vine (exotic weed) is essentia.

Food plants-  Birdwing Butterfly vine (Pararistolochia praevenosa).  For suburban gardens, fast-growing Tagala Vine (Aristolochia acuminate) from North Queensland is an alternative food source.

LYCENIDAE - Blues & Oranges

The butterflies in this large family are small to medium-sized.  A number are blue or orange-brown in colour.  A view of the underwing pattern is a more reliable way of identifying the butterfly.   A relationship sometimes exists between the caterpillar and a species of ants.  The ants eat the honeydew secreted by the caterpillar and in return guard the caterpillar against predators.

BLACK-SPOTTED Grass-blue (Famegana alsulus)

Peter & Bevly Hughes

 Male 17mm, Female 17mm.  Common blue butterfly with slow flight.  Almost always flies close to the ground.  On the upperside, the adult is mauve, shading to grey as it loses mauve scales, especially on the edge of its wings.  The underwing is creamy-fawn with an outer ring of pale dots with one prominent dark spot near the rear corner of the wing.

Food plants: Forest indigo (Indigofera pratensis).

COMMON Imperial blue (Jalmenus evagoras)

IMPERIAL Hairstreak

Cecile Espigole

Male 32mm, Female 37mm.  Locally common.  Slow flight close to ground.  Open eucalypt forests and woodlands, with an understorey of acacias, preferably young trees.  Caterpillars are attended by ants.

Food plants: Acacias

DARK Ciliate Blue (Anthene seltuttus affinis)

Ian Smith

Male 2.5mm, Female 2.5mm.   On top, the males are purple.  The females are brown with a purple sheen.  Some have pale edged spots in the side margin.  Underneath, both are fawn with dark and light half crescent shapes and a dark spot near tornus.  The caterpillars are usually attended by green tree ants.

Food plants include: Cassia fistula, Syzygium wilsonii, Brachychiton acerisolium.

FELDER'S Line Blue (Prosotus felderi)

Ian Smith

Male & Female 2mm.  Males upperwing brown with a blue sheen.   Females brown with a pale blue patch and pale chevrons along outer wing.  The underwings on th are fawn with dark patches edged with white.  A short tail appears on the tornus of both male and female.

Food plants: Acacias, Tulipwood (Harpulia pendula), Beach Bird's Eye (Alectryon coriaceus).

COMMON Grass Blue (Zizina labradus)

Allan Pratt

Male 20mm, Female 23mm.  Common blue butterfly.  Slow flight, close to the ground.  Upper wings are purplish black.  The under sides are greyish- blue with a fawn pattern of dots and stripes.  A distinguishing feature is a white spot on the club of the antenna.

Food plants: Emu foot (Cullen tenax), Australian Indigo (Indigofera australis), Clover (Trifolium species).

 HAIRY Line Blue (Erysichton lineata affinis)

Kerrie O'Donnell

Male 21mm, Female 21mm.  Common but local. Rapid flight.  Occurs in subtropical and littoral rainforests, parks and gardens.  Noticeable white patch on forewing of female.  Rear wings have a small tail.

Food plants: Many native species – Macadamia and Alectryon.

INDIGO Flash (Rapala varuna simsoni)

Kerrie O'Donnell

Males, Females 3mm.  On top, the males are dark purple, the females mauve, darkening on the edges.  The under wings are pale brown with a darker diagonal brown line.  A dark spot appears near two tails on the lower wing.  One tail is thin, the other knobbly.

Food plants: Milla Milla vine (Elaeagnus triflora), Red Ash (Alphitonia excelsa).

SMALL Green Banded Blue (Danis hymetus)

Ian Smith

Kerrie O'Donnell

Male, Female 35mm. On the topside, the males are blue and the females have a thick dark band on the wing edge.  In the sunlight, the underside of the wings have greenish-blue glistening patches.   Common.

Food plants: (Alphitonia sp.) Red Ash, Pink Ash.

SPECKLED Line Blue (Catapyrops Florinda)

Ian Smith

Male, Female 22mm.  Common but local butterfly. Flies quickly.  Topside, blue with two eye dots on each lower wing.  Two short thin tails.  Lower side has fawn and cream patterning.  Open forests, parks and gardens, rainforest edges.

Food plants: Native Mulberry (Pipturus argenteus), Poison peach (Trema tomentosa).

TRIDENT Pencilled Blue (Candalides margarita)

Cecile Espigole

Cecile Espigole

Male, Female 33mm.  Flies higher to feed on mistletoe species.  Widespread:  in many environments. Female has white patches on upper wing.  Male is all blue.

Food plants: Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides), Tulipwood (Harpulia pendula), Native Wisterias (Callerya sp).

 A local Entomologist offered to check the identification of these butterflies and he suggested changes for some.  I had published errors in previous post.  Please note entry for Pale Triangle.