Hypochrysops delicia

Hypochrysops delicia Hewitson, 1875
Moonlight Jewel
LUCIINI, THECLINAE, LYCAENIDAE, PAPILIONOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Hypochrysops delicia
(Photo: courtesy of M. & P. Coupar, Museum Victoria)

This Caterpillar is brown and hairy, with a dark dorsal stripe, and diagonal markings. It has a black head, and dark shiny plates on the thorax and on the eighth abdominal segment. It is usually attended by the small black ants :

Acrobat Ants ( Crematogaster, MYRMICINAE ).

By day it hides under bark or a borehole, or is taken by the ants into their nest. By night it emerges, often herded out by the ants, to feed. It feeds on various species of Wattle ( MIMOSACEAE ), for example:-

Coast Myall ( Acacia binervia ),

Silver Wattle ( Acacia dealbata ),

Yellow Wattle ( Acacia flavescens ),

Hickory Wattle ( Acacia implexa ),

Green Wattle ( Acacia irrorata ),

Black Wattle ( Acacia leiocalyx ),

Invasive Wattle ( Acacia mearnsii ),

Blackwood ( Acacia melanoxylon ),

Parramatta Wattle ( Acacia parramattensis ),

Golden Wattle ( Acacia pycnantha ), and

Mudgee Wattle ( Acacia spectabilis ).

The caterpillar grows to a length of about 2.5 cms. It pupates in a sheltered spot such as a crack, or curled leaf or piece of bark. The pupa is brown with a length of about 1.5 cms.

male
(Photo: courtesy of CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences)

The male adults are an iridescent turquoise on top, shading to black at the margins.

female
(Photo: courtesy of M. & P. Coupar Museum Victoria)

The female adults are an iridescent blue on top, shading to black at the margins.

underside female
(Photo: courtesy of Todd Burrows, South Stradbroke Island, Queensland)

Underneath, they are pale brown with rows of orange spots outlined in black and iridescent green. The butterflies have a wing span up to 4 cms.

The eggs are white, round, flattened, ridged and spiky. They have a diameter of about 1 mm. They are laid in clusters of up to 40 on a foodplant. The female is careful to choose a foodplant that has an appropriate colony of ants. The ants are inclined to nest in borer holes in the trunk and branches, so older plants that have had borer problems are best for this species.

underside male
(Photo: courtesy of Bruce Anstee)

This adult butterflies are never found too far from the larval foodplant host. The males set up territories in a prominent position near the host and defend it to all comers. If the dominant male is collected, he is soon replaced by another. They can be found on the same trees year after year.

The species occurs in areas along the east coast of Australia, and two races have been recognised :-

duaringae (Waterhouse, 1903) in Queensland,

delicia through New South Wales into Victoria,.