Page 178 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

BUTTERFLY CATERPILLARS

FAMILY Lycaenidae
DISTRIBUTION Southeastern Indonesia, Timor, mainland New Guinea,
and Australia
HABITAT Eucalypt woodlands and open forests; also semi-arid and
arid scrublands
HOST PLANTS Mainly wattle (Acacia spp.), but also small gum trees
(Eucalyptus spp.) and occasionally species of Fabaceae,
Sapindaceae, and Combretaceae

NOTE One of the few butterfly caterpillars that feeds on Eucalyptus
CONSERVATION STATUS Not evaluated, but common in northern areas of its range

ADULT WINGSPAN
⅞ in (22 mm)
CATERPILLAR LENGTH
½ in (13 mm)
THECLINESTHES MISKINI
WATTLE BLUE
176
(T. P. LUCAS, 1889)

The Wattle Blue caterpillar is often attended by numerous
ants from one of five genera. The ants may provide some
protection from predators and parasitoids, and in return
the caterpillars supply the ants with nutrient-rich secretions. The
caterpillars feed openly on the young leaves and sometimes on

the fleshy galls and flowers of their host plants—often small
Actual size
trees, and seedlings or suckers from larger trees. The larvae are
sometimes found in ant nests or under leaf litter on the ground.
In warmer areas, the caterpillars complete their development
in four weeks or less.

The caterpillars generally pupate on the food plant and are
attached by anal hooks and a central silk girdle. The species
is common in central and northern Australia, breeding there
The Wattle Blue caterpillar is prominently throughout the year. The adult male butterflies will hilltop,
humped at the thorax and either green or defending territory from perches on the highest foliage. The
dark purplish brown in color. It has a broad,
reddish-brown or green dorsal band, often genus comprises six species all restricted to Australasia.
more pronounced on the thoracic segments
and abdominal segments one to six, which is
edged in white and has sparse marginal hairs.