Candalides absimilis

Candalides absimilis, the pencilled blue or common pencil-blue, is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found along the east coast of Australia, including Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria.[2]

Candalides absimilis
Male
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Candalides
Species:	C. absimilis
Binomial name
Candalides absimilis (C. Felder, 1862)[1]
Synonyms
Holochila absimilis C. Felder, 1862 Candalides persimilis Waterhouse, 1942 Holochila persimilis Erina persimilis

The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adult males are grey blue, while females are brown on top with a large white patch on each wing and a purple sheen near the hinges. The underside of both sexes is white with rows of fawn carets.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on buds and young shoots of a wide range of plants, including Flagellaria, Macadamia integrifolia, Castanospermum australe, Erythrina, Callerya megasperma, Wisteria, Cassia fistula, Alectryon coriaceus, Brachychiton acerifolius and Cupaniopsis. They are green with a dark dorsal line and diagonal white marks along the sides and a brown head. Pupation takes place in a brown pupa with a length of about 15 mm.

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  Egg
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  Larva
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  Pupa
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  Female resting
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  Illustration of a mounted specimen

References

1. Australian Faunal Directory
2. "lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com". Archived from the original on 2011-04-09. Retrieved 2011-05-16.