Catopyrops florinda (Butler, 1877)
Speckled Line-blue
 (previously known as Lampides florinda)
POLYOMMATINI,   POLYOMMATINAE,   LYCAENIDAE,   PAPILIONOIDEA
  
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Catopyrops florinda
(Photo: courtesy of Wes Jenkinson)

This Caterpillar is initially green with white spots and short dense white hair over most of the body, and black hair on the thorax and back. It is sometimes attended by black ants. It is known to feed on :

  • Nicker Bean ( Caesalpina bonduc, CAESALPINIACEAE ),
  • Mallee Bitter Bush ( Adriana tomentosa, EUPHORBIACEAE ),
  • Tulipwood ( Harpullia pendula, SAPINDACEAE ),
  • Poison Peach ( Trema tomentosa, ULMACEAE ), and
  • Australian Mulberry ( Pipturus argenteus , URTICACEAE ).

    Catopyrops florinda
    (Photo: courtesy of Wes Jenkinson)

    The pupa is green, and attached to the foodplant by anal hooks and a silk girdle.

    Catopyrops florinda
    female
    (Photo: courtesy of John Lahey, Fort Bushcare Group, Brisbane, Queensland)

    The female adults are brown on top with a blue sheen over the basal areas of the wings.

    Catopyrops florinda
    male
    (Photo: courtesy of John Lahey, Fort Bushcare Group, Brisbane, Queensland)

    The males are more homogeously blue on the upper surfaces. Underneath, both sexes are fawn with rows of darker spots. Both upper and lower surfaces of each hindwing have a short thin tail between a pair of black spots. The butterflies have a wing span of about 2 cms.

    Catopyrops florinda
    female underside Catopyrops florinda halys
    (Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

    The eggs are laid singly on leaves of a foodplant. The eggs are spherical and flattened, They are initially white, maturing to green, and have a rough surface.

    Catopyrops florinda
    egg, magnified
    (Photo: courtesy of Ken Walker, Darwin, Northern Territory)

    The species occurs as various subspecies in south-east Asia, including

  • Timor,

    and in Australia as :

  • halys (Waterhouse, 1934) in
        southern Queensland and New South Wales,and
  • estrella (Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914) in
        northern Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland.

    Catopyrops florinda
    male underside Catopyrops florinda halys
    (Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Glenbrook, New South Wales)

    Catopyrops florinda
    female underside Catopyrops florinda halys
    (Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Glenbrook, New South Wales)

    Further reading :

    Michael F. Braby,
    Butterflies of Australia,
    CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 2, pp. 801-802.

    Arthur G. Butler,
    On a Collection of Lepidoptera obtained by the Rev. S. J. Whitmee from Lifu (Loyalty Group), with Descriptions of new Species,
    The Annals and Magazine of Natural History,
    Series 4, Volume 20 (1877), p. 354, No. 19 (16).

    Roger Grund & Frank Jordan,
    A new hostplant for the Speckled Line-blue butterfly (Catopyrops florinda halys) in the Brisbane area,
    Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club
    Newslettter, Issue 49 (June 2008), pp. 11-14.

    Wesley Jenkinson,
    Life history notes on the Speckled Line-blue, Catapyrops florinda halys (Butler, 1877) Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae,
    Butterflies and Other Invertebrates Club,
    Metamorphosis Australia,
    Issue 80 (March 2016), pp. 19-22,

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    (updated 30 March 2011, 23 December 2023)