Hypolycaena danis

Hypolycaena danis, the black and white tit or orchid flash, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the Maluku Province in Indonesia as well as the New Guinea region and north-eastern Australia.[1]

Hypolycaena danis
H. d. turneri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lycaenidae
Genus: Hypolycaena
Species:
H. danis
Binomial name
Hypolycaena danis
(C. & R. Felder, [1865])
Synonyms
  • Myrina danis C. & R. Felder, [1865]
  • Pseudonotis turneri Waterhouse, 1903
  • Hypolycaena danisoides de Nicéville, 1897

The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adults have white wings with broad black margins. The hindwings have blue edges with black spots and two tails. The underside of the wings is similar, but the pale areas are yellowish.[2]

The larvae feed on Vanda species and Dendrobium bigibbum,[3] Dendrobium canaliculatum, Cattleya, Renanthera, Phalaenopsis and Phalaenanthe species. They are off white to reddish green, sometimes with red bands.

Pupation takes place in an off-white pupa, which is attached to the stem of the host plant.

Subspecies

  • H. d. danis (Bachan, Halmahera, Morotai)
  • H. d. danisoides de Nicéville, 1897 (Kai Islands)
  • H. d. deripha Hewitson, 1878 (Aru, New Guinea, Louisade Archipelago)
  • H. d. milo Grose-Smith (New Britain)
  • H. d. turneri (Waterhouse, 1903) (Cape York to Cairns)

References

  1. On Hypolycaena from Maluku, Indonesia, including the first description of male Hypolycaena asahi (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae)
  2. "Australian Insects". Archived from the original on 2010-06-26. Retrieved 2011-07-06.
  3. Hypolycaena at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.