Candalides margarita

Candalides margarita (Semper, [1879])
(erroneously: Holochila marginata)
Margarita's Blue
CANDALIDINI , POLYOMMATINAE , LYCAENIDAE

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

Candalides margarita
(Photo: courtesy of Todd Burrows, South Stradbroke Island)

These Caterpillars can be green or pink or brown, sometimes with brown dorsal markings. They have a prominent dorsal ridge and a hump at the thorax. They feed on the young shoots and flowers of various species of Mistletoe ( LORANTHACEAE ), for example :

Brush Mistletoe ( Amylotheca dictyophleba,

Curved Mistletoe ( Dendrophthoe curvata ),

Long Flowered Mistletoe ( Dendrophthoe vitellina ),

Coast Mistletoe ( Muellerina celastroides ),

Erect Mistletoe ( Amyema congener ),

Box Mistletoe ( Amyema miquelii ),

Common Mistletoe ( Amyema conspicua ), and

Shiny-leaved Mistletoe ( Benthamina alyxifolia ).

They attended by the small black ants :

Technomyrmex sophiae ( DOLICHODERINAE ).

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

The pupa is smooth and brown with a white dorsal line, and has curled flanges on the abdomen. It is attached to a foodplant leaf by anal hooks and a girdle.

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

The female butterflies of this species are black with a large white patch on each wing, and a faint metallic blue suffusion toward the base. The males are plain dull blue.

(Photo: courtesy of Nick Monaghan, Lake MacDonald)

Underneath, both sexes are white with arcs of brown dashes and black dots. The butterflies have a wingspan of about 3 cms.

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

In Australia, the species is found along the east coast of Queensland and New South Wales. Other subspecies are found in New Guinea.