Theclinesthes miskini

Theclinesthes miskini, the wattle blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Australia and New Guinea.[2]

Theclinesthes miskini

Theclinesthes miskini
Dorsal view
Ventral view
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Theclinesthes
Species:
T. miskini
Binomial name
Theclinesthes miskini
Synonyms
  • Lycaena miskini T. P. Lucas, 1889
  • Nacaduba gaura Doherty, 1891
  • Utica onycha var. atrosuffusa Waterhouse, 1903
  • Theclinesthes eucalypti Sibatani & Grund, 1978
  • Nacaduba arnoldi Fruhstorfer, 1916

Description

The wingspan is about 20 mm. Adults have a pale blue upperside with chequered margins, but females also have a broad black band around the margins. They also have an arc of white scalloped markings on the hindwings. The underside of the wings is fawn with several white markings.

The larvae are dark green or brown with a dark dorsal band and pale diagonal streaks.

Ecology

The larvae generally feed on plants in the family Fabaceae including Paraserianthes lophantha, Sesbania cannabina, Acacia anceps, A. auriculiformis, A. flavescens, A. pycnantha, A. salicina, A. saligna, A. tetragonophylla, A. harpophylla, A. holosericea, A. neriifolia and A. victoriae, but also on Alectryon diversifolius, Atalaya variifolia, Hakea vittata and Eucalyptus polycarpa. Young seedlings are preferred to older foliage.

Larvae are occasionally attended by various black or green ants in the genera Iridomyrmex, Ochetellus, Calomyrmex, Camponotus, Notoncus, Paratrechina or Polyrhachis.[3]

Subspecies
  • Theclinesthes miskini miskini (Australia: Cairns to Moruya, Northern Territory)
  • Theclinesthes miskini arnoldi (Fruhstorfer, 1916) (Cape York, Bismarck Archipelago)
  • Theclinesthes miskini eucalypti Sibatani & Grund, 1978 (Queensland)

References
  1. Savela, Markku (27 September 2016). "Theclinesthes miskini (Lucas, 1889)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  2. Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella (23 November 2013). "Theclinesthes miskini (T.P. Lucas, 1889) Wattle Blue". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  3. Braby, Michael F. (2004). The Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia. CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 0643090274.


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