Hypolycaena danis

Hypolycaena danis (Felder & Felder, 1865)
(previously known as : Myrina danis)
Black & White Tit
HYPOLYCAENINI , THECLINAE , LYCAENIDAE

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

(updated 13 May 2008)

Hypolycaena danis
(Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville)

This Caterpillar is off-white to reddish green, sometimes with red bands along the body, and is densely covered in short hairs. It is a pest on Orchids ( ORCHIDACEAE ), feeding on the flowers of, for example, the Australian natives :

Cooktown Orchid ( Dendrobium bigibbum ), and

Teatree Orchid ( Dendrobium canaliculatum ),

as well as exotic orchids from the genera :

Vanda,

Cattleya,

Renanthera,

Phalaenopsis, and

Phalaenanthe.

(Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville)

The pupa is off-white, stout and flattish, held by the tail and central girdle to a stem of the foodplant.

(Picture: courtesy of CSIRO Entomology)

The adult butterflies have white wings with broad black margins. The margin of each hindwing has a blue edge containing black spots. Each hindwing has two tails at the tornus.

Female
(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis)

Underneath, the wings are similar, except the hindwing pale areas are yellowish. The butterflies have a wingspan of about 3 cms.

Various subspecies of this butterfly occur in Papua and New Guinea, and the subspecies turneri occurs in north Queensland, including :

Cairns,

Cape York, and

Townsville.