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