Candalides margarita

Candalides margarita, or Margarita's blue, is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It was described by Georg Semper in 1879.[2] It is found in Australia (along the east coast of Queensland and New South Wales) and New Guinea.

Candalides margarita
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Lycaenidae
Genus:
Candalides
Species:
C. margarita
Binomial name
Candalides margarita
(Semper, [1879])[1]
Synonyms

The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adult females are black with a large white patch on each wing, and a faint metallic blue suffusion toward the base. Adult males are plain dull blue.

The larvae feed on young shoots and flowers of Amylotheca dictyophleba, Dendrophthoe curvata, Dendrophthoe vitellina, Muellerina celastroides, Amyema congener, Amyema miquelii, Amyema conspicua and Benthamina alyxifolia. They are attended by the ant Technomyrmex sophiae. The larvae are green, pink or brown. The pupa is attached to a leaf of the host plant by anal hooks and a girdle.[3]

Subspecies
  • Candalides margarita margarita (Australia: Cape York to Port Macquarie)
  • Candalides margarita maria Bethune-Baker, 1908 (Aru, Misool, Waigeu, West Irian to Papua)

References
  1. Savela, Markku (20 November 2018). "Candalides margarita (Semper, [1879])". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  2. Semper, Georg (1879). "Beitrag zur Rhopalocerenfauna von Australien". Journal des Museum Godeffroy. 5 (14): 161–162.
  3. Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella (1 November 2013). "Candalides margarita (Semper, [1879]) Margarita's Blue". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 15 November 2019.


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