Jalmenus icilius

Jalmenus icilius Hewitson, [1865]
(one synonym : Lycaena aeneus)
Icilius Blue
ZESIINI , THECLINAE , LYCAENIDAE

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

Male
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

These Caterpillars are green mottled with brown, with a broad dark dorsal band, and black and white diagonal lines on each segment. They have a grey thorax, and there are pairs of tubercles on the thorax and the tail.

The Caterpillars are always attended by the small black ants :

Iridomyrmex rufoniger ( DOLICHODERINAE ).

The Caterpillars have been known to feed on a variety of plants, including :

Siver Cassia ( Cassia artemisioides, CAESALPINIACEAE ),

Punty ( Cassia nemophila, CAESALPINIACEAE ),

Spiny Bitter Pea ( Daviesia benthamii, FABACEAE ),

Raspberry Jam Wattle ( Acacia acuminata, MIMOSACEAE ),

Port Lincoln Wattle ( Acacia anceps, MIMOSACEAE ),

Mulga ( Acacia aneura, MIMOSACEAE ),

Silver Wattle ( Acacia dealbata, MIMOSACEAE ),

Deane's Wattle ( Acacia deanei, MIMOSACEAE ),

Brigalow ( Acacia harpophylla, MIMOSACEAE ),

Late Black Wattle ( Acacia mearnsii, MIMOSACEAE ),

Parramatta Wattle ( Acacia parramattensis, MIMOSACEAE ),

Boree ( Acacia pendula, MIMOSACEAE ),

Golden Wattle ( Acacia pycnantha, MIMOSACEAE ),

Red-Stemmed Wattle ( Acacia rubida, MIMOSACEAE ),

Golden Wreath Wattle ( Acacia saligna, MIMOSACEAE ), and

Bramble Wattle ( Acacia victoriae, MIMOSACEAE ).

The Caterpillar usually pupates in the debris at the base of the foodplant. The pupa is fawn with dark brown markings. It has a length of about 1 cm.

The adult male and female butterflies look very similar. On top, they are basically dark brown, with a blue iridescent sheen. The females are rather bluer. The trailing edge of each hind wing has a pair of short tails. Beside one tail is a small black eyespot.

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

Underneath: the butterflies are fawn with faint bands of white-edged darker spots running across the wings. The hind wings each have two black and orange eyespots with black marks between them. The butterflies have a wing span of about 3 cms.

The eggs are round and flattened with a diameter of about 0.5 mm. They are pale blue and laid in clusters on a foodplant.

The species occurs across most of mainland Australia, including

Victoria, and

South Australia.