Ogyris olane

Ogyris olane (Hewitson, 1862)
Dull Purple or Broad-margined Azure
ARHOPALINI, THECLINAE, LYCAENIDAE, PAPILIONOIDEA

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

Ogyris olane
(Specimen: courtesy of Cleve Herd and Martin Lagerwey West Wyalong, New South Wales)

This Caterpillar is flat and pinkish-brown with dark markings. It hides by day, and feeds nocturnally on Mistletoes (LORANTHACEAE) such as :

Box Mistletoe ( Amyena miquelii ), and

Drooping Mistletoe ( Amyema pendulum ),

which are parasitic on

Gum ( Eucalyptus, MYRTACEAE ).

The caterpillars are often attended by various species of ants.

(Photo: courtesy of R.P. Field, Museum Victoria)

The pupa is mottled brown with a dark line along the back. Its length is about 1.5 cms. It is formed in a crevice often some distance from the foodplant. It is unusual in that it can make clicking noises.

male, digitally repaired
(Photo: courtesy of CSIRO/BIO Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

The male and female adults are quite similar, They are both purple on top with broad black wing margins, but the female has a bluer tinge, and more rounded wing-tips.

female
(Photo: courtesy of CSIRO/BIO Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

Underneath, the forewings are dark brown, with white lines emanating from the costa. The hindwings have a complex brown pattern. The butterflies have a wing span of about 4 cms.

underside
(Photo: courtesy of Cathy Powers, Brisbane Ranges, Victoria)

Widespread but very local, adults are sighted flying around the tops of eucalypts which support their host. As with all Ogyris, the usual way to obtain adults is to collect larvae and pupae, as the adult butterflies do not feed from flowers, or descend to ground level.

egg, magnified
(Photo: courtesy of Ken Walker, Murrurundi, New South Wales)

The eggs of this species are dark brown, flattened, and round, each with about 100 hexagonal dimples. The eggs a diameter just under 1 mm. They are laid in ones or twos on a foodplant.

The species occurs over most of the eastern half of Australia, including

Queensland,

New South Wales,

Victoria, and also

South Australia.

Various races have been proposed :

ocela Waterhouse, 1934, and

olane,
but more recent studies have indicated that the observed variations may be only a cline.