General Description

Wing uppersides are completely purple in males; females are brown with a variable area of blue. There are two black eye-spots at the rear of the hind wing. The underside of the wings is pale brown, with a pattern of brown and white. The frontal area of the fore wing is yellowish orange. There are two black with metallic green eye-spots near the rear of the hind wing, ringed orange. A very small butterfly, wingspan to 1.7 cm, but sometimes due to quick development they can be half this size, being strong contenders for the smallest butterfly in the world. Mature larvae vary in colour and pattern, in shades of green, yellow, pink or purple, and blend in with the plant on which they are feeding. The final larval stage is 8 mm long, flat and broad (onisciform), has delicate bristles (setaceous), with the dorsal and lateral parts strongly scalloped. Pupa: 6 mm; attached by silk girdle and cremaster (hook like structure at tip); brown coloured. short, stout and unornamented.

Biology

Very common, especially in arid, inland areas. After rains, mass emergences can occur from beneath the hostplant Mulga (Acacia aneura). When this happens, males can be seen in hundreds beneath an individual tree, fluttering at a height of 10 cm waiting for females to emerge. Early stages are sometimes attended by a few small ants. Larvae feed on the flower buds of wattles (Acacia). The pupa usually occurs in ground leaf litter.

Distribution

Across Australia.

Habitat

Variety of habitats, more common in warmer areas, especially where Acacia is found.

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