Yellow Spot Blue - Candalides xanthospila

FAMILY LYCAENIDAE

This page contains information and pictures about Yellow Spot Blue Butterflies in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.

Male, wingspan 25mm
 
The male butterfly is purple on top, has a large yellow patch in the centre of each forewing. Female is the same except brown instead of purple colour. On the wings bottom, they are white in colour with a row of black dots along the wing edge. They are two dots under the centre of each fore wing, very small and may be absent. There are three dots under each hind wing.
 
  wpe19.jpg (20964 bytes)
 
In mid summer, we found a lot of them in Alexandra Hill along Coolnwynpin Creek
 
wpeF.jpg (22276 bytes)  wpe13.jpg (15445 bytes)
 
Their Caterpillar is green with white hairs, with dark green stripes and yellow lateral lines, feeds on Slender Rice Flower Pimelea linifolia. The caterpillars are attended by small black ants. Feeding is done only at night, hiding by day under leaves and debris near the base of host plants.
 
wpe19.jpg (25109 bytes)  wpe1D.jpg (23782 bytes)
 

Reference and Link:
1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, p 899.
2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p466.
3. Create More Butterflies -  by Frank Jordan and Helen Schwencke, Earthling Enterprises, 2005, p59.
4. Candalides xanthospila - Australian Caterpillars, Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley, 2005.
5. Wild Plants of Greater Brisbane -  Queensland Museum, 2003, p188, Slender Rice Flower Pimelea linifolia.
6. Butterflies of Australia and New Guinea - Barrett, Charles and A. N. Burns, Melbourne, N. H. Seward, 1951, p146.  

Back to Top

Up ] Small Dusky Blue ] [ Yellow Spot Blue ] Whitebanded Line-blue ] Common Grass Blue ] Zebra Blue ] Dark Ciliate Blue ] Small Green Banded Blue ] Speckled Line Blue ] Wattle Blue ]


See us in Home page. Download large pictures in Wallpaper web page. Give us comments in Guest Book, or send email. A great way to support us is to buy the Brisbane Insects and Spiders CD.  
Last updated: January 02, 2006.