Arhopala micale

Arhopala micale, the common oakblue or shining oakblue, is a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. The species comprises about 16 subspecies, which are found in Melanesia and New Guinea as well as the north coast of Australia (see subspecies section).[1]

Arhopala micale
A. m. amtyis From the Courvoisier Collection, Basel, Switzerland
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Arhopala
Species:	A. micale
Binomial name
Arhopala micale Blanchard, 1853
Synonyms
Arhopala amphis Waterhouse, 1942 Amblypodia amytis Hewitson, 1862 Amblypodia cyronthe Miskin, 1890 Arhopala amydon Waterhouse, 1942 Arhopala tebaensis Strand, 1913

The wingspan is about 40 mm.It is above very similar to A.sophrosyne , on the whole perhaps somewhat more ultra-marine, and the forewing in the costal area somewhat more violettish-blue. The under surface lacks the intense brightening in the distal part of all the wings; the spots are larger, more irregular and in the hindwing.— superba Rob. is beneath in both sexes browner, in the female above the black margin of the wings is broader and more sharply defined[2]

The larvae feed on Buchanania arborescens, Cordia dichotoma, Calophyllum inophyllum, Terminalia muelleri, Glochidion ferdinandi, Cryptocarya hypospodia, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Acmena, Cupaniopsis anacardioides, Heritiera littoralis and Oxera splendida. They are attended by the ant species Oecophylla smaragdina. When not feeding, the larvae rest in a curled leaf or the entrance to the ants' nest.