Silky hairstreak | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Lycaenidae |
Tribe: | Zesiini |
Genus: | Pseudalmenus |
Species: | P. chlorinda |
Binomial name | |
Pseudalmenus chlorinda | |
The silky hairstreak or chlorinda hairstreak (Pseudalmenus chlorinda) is a butterfly belonging to the family Lycaenidae. The species was first described by Emile Blanchard in 1848. It occurs in Australia. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Pseudalmenus, described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1902. [2]
Subspecies include: [3]
The adult silky hairstreak has a wingspan of 28 mm. [5] The male and female are similar, with the wings of the female slightly more rounded. [1] The wings are black or brown on top with yellow-orange patches. The lower wings have orange patches and black tails with white edges. The underside of the wings is yellow grey with black and orange markings. The eggs are pale green with a diameter about 1 mm. [1] They are usually laid in small groups on the twigs of a food plant. [1]
The caterpillars grow to a length of around 3 cm. They have a black head and a brown, red, black and yellow body. [1] The larvae of the silky hairstreak secrete substances that attract Anonychomyrma biconvexa ants. [6] [7]
It is found in south-eastern Australia including New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. [8] The species only occurs where the attendant ant species is found, and the larval food plant grows. [9]
The caterpillars feed on various Acacia species including the A. dealbata , A. decurrens , A. elata , A. mearnsii , A. melanoxylon , A. obtusata , A. pravissima , A. terminalis and the A. trachyphloia . [1]
Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies, with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfly species.
The pasture day moth is a species in the moth family Noctuidae which is active during the day, as its common name implies, making it unlike most other noctuid species. It is found in most southern areas of Australia, ranging from lower Queensland to Tasmania. The species was first described by George French Angas in 1847. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Apina, erected by Francis Walker in 1855.
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Acacia mearnsii, commonly known as black wattle, late black wattle or green wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is usually an erect tree with smooth bark, bipinnate leaves and spherical heads of fragrant pale yellow or cream-coloured flowers followed by black to reddish brown pods. In some other parts of the world, it is regarded as an invasive species.
The banded sugar ant, also known as the sugar ant, is a species of ant native to Australia. A member of the genus Camponotus in the subfamily Formicinae, it was described by German entomologist Wilhelm Ferdinand Erichson in 1842. Its common name refers to the ant's liking for sugar and sweet food, as well as the distinctive orange-brown band that wraps around its gaster.
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Acacia parramattensis, commonly known as Parramatta wattle, is a tree of the family Fabaceae native to the Blue Mountains and surrounding regions of New South Wales. It is a tall shrub or tree to about 15 m (49 ft) in height with phyllodes instead of true leaves. These are finely divided bipinnate. The yellow flowers appear over summer. It generally grows in woodland or dry sclerophyll forest on alluvial or shale-based soils, generally with some clay content.
Acacia decurrens, commonly known as black wattle or early green wattle, is a perennial tree or shrub native to eastern New South Wales, including Sydney, the Greater Blue Mountains Area, the Hunter Region, and south west to the Australian Capital Territory. It grows to a height of 2–15 m (7–50 ft) and it flowers from July to September.
Graphium macleayanus, the Macleay's swallowtail, is a butterfly belonging to the family Papilionidae. The species was named after Alexander Macleay.
Protographium leosthenes, the four-barred swordtail, is a medium-sized butterfly of the family Papilionidae found in Australia. It is similar to the five-barred swordtail found in both Australia and India.
Jalmenus evagoras, the imperial hairstreak, imperial blue, or common imperial blue, is a small, metallic blue butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is commonly found in eastern coastal regions of Australia. This species is notable for its unique mutualism with ants of the genus Iridomyrmex. The ants provide protection for juveniles and cues for adult mating behavior. They are compensated with food secreted from J. evagoras larvae. The ants greatly enhance the survival and reproductive success of the butterflies. J. evagoras lives and feeds on Acacia plants, so butterfly populations are localized to areas with preferred species of both host plants and ants.
Myrmecia esuriens, also known as Tasmanian inchman, is a species of bulldog ant native to Tasmania.
Melanodes is a monotypic moth genus in the family Geometridae. Its only species, Melanodes anthracitaria, the black geometrid, is found in Australia, more specifically in southern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania. The genus and species were described by Achille Guenée in 1857.
The bright copper is a butterfly belonging to the family Lycaenidae.
Jalmenus clementi, the turquoise hairstreak or Clement's blue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. The species was first described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1902. It is found along the north-west coast of Western Australia.
Myrmecia nigrocincta, commonly known as the jumper ant or jumping jack, is an ant of the genus Myrmecia. The species was first described by Frederick Smith in 1858. Colonies of this ant are abundant in eastern Australia. Ants of this species are known for their ability to jump up to 10 centimetres, and they also have a powerful, venomous sting. Rather than foraging on the ground, M. nigrocincta prefer to forage in trees where they are known to pollinate certain flowers.
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