Page 158 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Lycaenidae
DISTRIBUTION North Africa, southern Europe
HABITAT Hot, dry grasslands up to 3,600 ft (1,100 m) elevation
HOST PLANTS Various, including Dorycnium spp., Genista spp., Lotus spp.,
and Ononis spp.
NOTE Plump, pale green caterpillar that is attended by ants
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but under threat in much of its range

ADULT WINGSPAN
⅞–1¼ in (22–32 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
⁄–⁄ in (15–18 mm)
GLAUCOPSYCHE MELANOPS
BLACK-EYED BLUE
156
(BOISDUVAL, [1828])

Black-eyed Blue caterpillars hatch from eggs laid singly
by the female butterfly on a range of plants of the Fabaceae
family found growing on dry grassland. The green larvae
are well camouflaged and rarely spotted as they feed. As with

other Glaucopsyche species, the caterpillars are tended by
ants, particularly ants in the genus Camponotus. The ants give
protection from parasitoids and predators in exchange for a
sticky secretion (honeydew) that they milk from the caterpillars.
The species overwinters as a pupa, which is found on the ground
near the host plants.

The adults, which have a distinctive blue coloring with black
eyespots, referenced in the common name, eclose and are on
the wing between May and July, and there is a single generation

annually. Although this is a widespread butterfly, it does not

occur in any significant numbers in any one place. The species is
under threat from the cultivation of its grassland habitats as well
Actual size
as habitat losses to tourism, industry, and even energy schemes.

The Black-eyed Blue caterpillar is pale green
and plump with a tapered body shape. There
are dorsal and lateral stripes of dark green, pale
green, and white running the length of the body.
The body is also covered in short, white setae.