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Hypochrysops halyaetus This is only the third time I have seen these and they are magnificent. The blue on the male is so brilliant. I didn't see a female with its wings displayed. They have a wingspan of 2.5cm and in the Perth area fly between October to December. "The adult male and female butterflies are different. On top, the males are an iridescent greenish blue. The females are an iridescent purple. Both have chequered black and white margins and an orange border to each hindwing."
lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/lyca/halyaet.htmlThe eggs are about 1mm and are laid on the host plant. The caterpillars can grow to 1cm and are tended by ants. "Caterpillars of lycaenid butterflies have therefore evolved specialized organs that secrete chemicals to feed and appease ants.[3] Because caterpillars do not automatically pass honeydew, they must be stimulated to secrete droplets and do so in response to ant antennation, which is the drumming or stroking of the caterpillars body by the ants antennae.[2] Some caterpillars possess specialized receptors that allow them to distinguish between ant antennation and contact from predators and parasites, and others produce acoustic signals that agitate ants, making them more active and likely better defenders of the larvae.[18][19] As with homopteran myrmecophiles, ants protect Lycaenid larvae from predatory insects (including other ants) and parasitoid wasps, which lay their eggs in the bodies of many species of Lepidoptera larvae."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrmecophily#Lycaenid_butterfliesFood plants: Daviesia decurrens, Jacksonia sternbergiana."Breeding: Females lay their eggs at the base of the food-plant close to the ground near the entrance to an ants nest. Larvae feed at night on the foliage and stems and are tended by the ants. "
www.climatewatch.org.au/species/insects/western-jewelWhat an amazing world we live in!!
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Riviere Noire, Black River, Mauritius
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Blue rucksack seemed to be a magnet!Valbona National Park. Albanian Alps
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Perak, Malaysia
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Celles, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
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Lewis Pass, Canterbury, New Zealand
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London, England, United Kingdom
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Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
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Grafton Flyford, England, United Kingdom
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Egg of the butterfly Lycaena dispar (Large Copper)Technical settings : - focus stack of 70 images - microscope objective (Nikon achromatic 10x 160/0.25) on bellow
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Autumn Heath-Blue Butterfly or Julimar BlueAs yet unnamed but referred to as Neolucia sp. 'Julimar'. This butterfly had not been seen for around 15 years and was considered to have been extinct till Jean's photo in 2008 proved otherwise. During 2010 Jean and Fred assisted in recording these butterflies over quite a wide area east-northeast-north of Perth when it is quite common during April. These butterflies were always seen in association with populations of the flowering food plant - Daviesia angulata. The photo shows the little butterfly momentarily sitting on the leaves of Banksia squarrosa in the sun to charge its batteries. Photo: FredMany other 'blue' butterflies also frequent the Daviesia flowers. The "Julimar blue" butterflies fly with a very dark colour due to the brown on the top of the wings.Photo: FredExplored: Apr 21, 2017 #335
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The Cornelian, Deudorix epijarbas is a species of lycaenid or blue butterfly found in south-east Asia from India to the Fiji, including the Philippines, and also the tropical coast of Queensland in Australia. The wingspan is about 30 mm.
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Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
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Juno Beach, Florida, United States
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Jimena, Cadiz prov. Andalusia, Spain
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Grafton Flyford, England, United Kingdom
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Puech du Taur, Midi-Pyrnes, France
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Sarawak, Malaysia
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Presbury Butterfly Reserve, Glos UK
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Muang Khammouan, Khammouan, Laos
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Kiunga, West Papua New Guinea
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Winchester, England, United Kingdom
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Sarawak, Malaysia