Hypochrysops epicurus Miskin, 1876
Mangrove Jewel
LUCIINI,   THECLINAE,   LYCAENIDAE,   PAPILIONOIDEA
  
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Hypochrysops epicurus
(Photo: courtesy of Bob Miller and Ian Hill)

This Caterpillar may be green, brown, pink or grey. It has pale sides, a broad dark dorsal line containing a narrow white line, and pale patches on the thorax and abdominal segments five and six. It hides by day in crevices or a rolled leaf, and by night feeds on leaves of :

  • White Mangrove ( Avicennia marina, ACANTHACEAE ).

    Hypochrysops epicurus
    (Photo: courtesy of Bob Miller and Ian Hill)

    The Caterpillar is always attended by ants from the genus

  • Anonychomyrma, DOLICHODERINAE.

    Hypochrysops epicurus       Hypochrysops epicurus
    (Photos: courtesy of Bob Miller and Ian Hill)

    The pupa is brown and formed in a sheltered crevice or similar spot on the foodplant.

    Hypochrysops epicurus
    male
    (Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

    The male and female adults are different. The male is metallic blue on top with a narrow black margin.

    Hypochrysops epicurus
    female
    (Photo: courtesy of Bob Miller and Ian Hill)

    The female is brown on top, sometimes with an orange suffusion, and with mauve patches at the bases. and.

    Hypochrysops epicurus
    male, underside
    (Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

    Underneath, they are fawn with rows of red dashes edged with pale metallic green. The butterflies have a wing span of about 3 cms.

    Hypochrysops epicurus
    female, underside
    (Photo: courtesy of Bob Miller and Ian Hill)

    The eggs are laid in clusters on twigs and leaf stems of a food plant. They are pale turquoise.

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

    The species occurs in

  • southern Queensland, and
  • northern New South Wales.


    Further reading :

    Michael F. Braby,
    Butterflies of Australia,
    CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 2, pp. 676-677.

    William Henry Miskin,
    Descriptions of new species of Australian diurnal Lepidoptera,
    Transactions of the Entomological Society of London,
    1876, pp. 455-456.


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    (updated 16 September 2010, 9 November 2013, 20 July 2020)