''Hypochrysops'' is a genus of

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

in the family

Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest family (biology), family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of ...

first described by Cajetan Felder and

Rudolf Felder Rudolf Felder (2 May 1842 in Vienna – 29 March 1871 in Vienna) was an Austrian jurist and entomologist. He was mainly interested in Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes ...

in 1860. This particular

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

is exclusive to the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n area with only a few species straying into

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

Food sources

The

mistletoe Mistletoe is the common name for obligate parasite, obligate parasitic plant, hemiparasitic plants in the Order (biology), order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they ...

plant is ambiguously claimed to be a food source for at least some species of ''Hypochrysops''. This might be so, but raises some questions because most Lycaenidae have parasitic or mutualistic, often highly specific, relationships with various species of ants, and ants have been reported to carry the eggs of the Apollo jewel butterfly (''Hypochrysops apollo apollo'') into their colonies inside ant plants of the genus ''

Myrmecodia ''Myrmecodia'' is a genus of Epiphyte, epiphytic plants, present in Indochina, Malesia, Papuasia, and Queensland, Australia. It is one of five ant-plant genera in the family Rubiaceae, the others being ''Anthorrhiza'', ''Hydnophytum'', ''Myrme ...

''. ''Myrmecodia'' species have certain superficial resemblances to "mistletoes", but are

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

, not markedly parasitic, and are not in any parasitic plant family; they are in fact in the coffee family,

Rubiaceae Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...

. It seems likely that ''Hypochrysops apollo apollo'' at least, might feed exclusively on ant food and ant

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

Species

*'' Hypochrysops alyattes'' H. H. Druce, 1891 *'' Hypochrysops anacletus'' C. Felder, 1860 *'' Hypochrysops antiphon'' Grose-Smith, 1897 *'' Hypochrysops apelles'' Fabricius, 1775 :*'' H. a. singkepe'' D'Abrera, 1977 *'' Hypochrysops apollo'' Miskin, 1891 :*'' H. a. phoebus'' Waterhouse, 1928 :*'' H. a. wendisi'' Bethune-Baker, 1909 *'' Hypochrysops architas'' H. H. Druce, 1891 :*'' H. a. cratevas'' H. H. Druce, 1891 :*'' H. a. marie'' Tennent, 2001 :*'' H. a. suethes'' H. H. Druce, 1891 *'' Hypochrysops aristocles'' Grose-Smith, 1898 *'' Hypochrysops argyriorufa'' van Eecke, 1924 *'' Hypochrysops arronica'' Felder, 1859 *'' Hypochrysops aurantiaca'' Yagishita, 2004 *'' Hypochrysops bakeri'' Joicey & Talbot, 1916 *'' Hypochrysops boisduvali'' Oberthür, 1894 *'' Hypochrysops byzos'' Boisduval, 1832 :*'' H. b. hecalius'' Miskin, 1884 *'' Hypochrysops calliphon'' Grose-Smith, 1894 *'' Hypochrysops castaneus'' Sands, 1986 *'' Hypochrysops chrysanthis'' Felder, 1860 *'' Hypochrysops chrysargyra'' Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1895 *'' Hypochrysops chrysodesmus'' Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1899 *'' Hypochrysops chrysotoxus'' Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1890 *'' Hypochrysops cleon'' Grose-Smith, 1900 *'' Hypochrysops coelisparsus'' Butler, 1883 :*'' H. c. kerri'' Riley, 1932 *'' Hypochrysops coruscans'' Grose-Smith, 1897 :*'' H. c. subcaeruleum'' Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1896 :*'' H. c. ceramicum'' H. H. Druce, 1903 :*'' H. c. dinawa'' -Bethune-Baker, 1908 *'' Hypochrysops cyane'' Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914 *'' Hypochrysops delicia'' Hewitson, 1875 :*'' H. d. delos'' Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914 :*'' H. d. duaringae'' Waterhouse, 1903 :*'' H. d. regina'' Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1895 *'' Hypochrysops dicomus'' Hewitson, 1874 *'' Hypochrysops digglesii'' Hewitson, 1874 *'' Hypochrysops dinawa'' Bethune-Baker, 1908 *'' Hypochrysops dohertyi'' Oberthür, 1894 *'' Hypochrysops doleschallii'' Felder, 1860 *'' Hypochrysops elgneri'' Waterhouse & Lyell, 1909 :*'' H. e. barnardi'' Waterhouse, 1934 *'' Hypochrysops emiliae'' D'Abrera, 1971 *'' Hypochrysops epicurus'' Miskin, 1876 *'' Hypochrysops eucletus'' Felder, 1865 :*'' H. e. dyope'' Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1895 :*'' H. e. eratosthenes'' Fruhstorfer, 1908 :*'' H. e. menandrus'' Fruhstorfer, 1908 :*'' H. e. vulcanicus'' D'Abrera, 1971 *'' Hypochrysops eunice'' Fruhstorfer, 1915 *'' Hypochyrsops felderi'' Oberthür, 1894 *'' Hypochrysops ferruguineus'' Sands, 1986 *'' Hypochrysops geminatus'' Sands, 1986 *'' Hypochrysops halyaetus'' Hewitson, 1874 *'' Hypochrysops herdonius'' Hewitson, 1874 *'' Hypochrysops heros'' Grose-Smith, 1894 :*'' H. h. imogena'' D'Abrera, 1971 :*'' H. h. polemon'' Fruhstorfer, 1915 *'' Hypochrysops hippuris'' Hewitson, 1874 *'' Hypochrysops honora'' Grose-Smith, 1898 *'' Hypochrysops hypates'' Hewitson, 1874 :*'' H. h. zeuxis'' Staudinger, 1888 *'' Hypochrysops ignita'' Leach, 1814 :*'' H. i. chrysonotus'' Grose-Smith, 1899 :*'' H. i. erythrina'' Waterhouse & Lyell, 1909 :*'' H. i. olliffi'' Miskin, 1889 *'' Hypochrysops lucilla'' D'Abrera, 1971 *'' Hypochrysops luteus'' Sands, 1986 *'' Hypochrysops makrikii'' Ribbe, 1900 *'' Hypochrysops meeki'' Rothschild & Jordan, 1905 *'' Hypochrysops mioswara'' Bethune-Baker, 1913 *'' Hypochrysops mirabillis'' Pagenstecher, 1894 *'' Hypochrysops miraculum'' H. H. Druce & Bethune-Baker, 1893 *'' Hypochrysops miskini'' Waterhouse, 1903 *'' Hypochrysops narcissus'' Fabricius, 1775 *'' Hypochrysops pagenstecheri'' Ribbe, 1899 *'' Hypochrysops piceatus'' Kerr, Macqueen & Sands, 1969 *'' Hypochrysops plotinus'' Grose-Smith, 1894 *'' Hypochrysops polycletus'' Linnaeus, 1758 :*'' H. p. atromarginata'' H. H. Druce, 1891 :*'' H. p. brunnea'' H. H. Druce, 1903 :*'' H. p. epicletus'' Felder, 1859 :*'' H. p. hylaithus'' Fruhstorfer, 1908 :*'' H. p. hypochrysops'' Oberthür, 1880 :*'' H. p. kaystrus'' Fruhstorfer, 1908 :*'' H. p. linos'' Fruhstorfer, 1908 :*'' H. p. menyllus'' Fruhstorfer, 1908 :*'' H. p. oineus'' Fruhstorfer, 1908 :*'' H. p. rex'' Boisduval, 1832 :*'' H. p. rovena'' H. H. Druce, 1891 *'' Hypochrysops pratti'' Bethune-Baker, 1913 *'' Hypochrysops protogenes'' Felder, 1865 :*'' H. p. cleonides'' Grose-Smith, 1900 :*'' H. p. hermogenes'' Grose-Smith, 1894 :*'' H. p. pretiosus'' Grose-Smith, 1894 :*'' H. p. thesaurus'' Grose-Smith, 1894 *'' Hypochrysops pyrodes'' Cassidy, 2003 *'' Hypochrysops pythias'' Felder, 1865 :*'' H. p. aurifer'' Grose-Smith, 1898 :*'' H. p. drucei'' Oberthür, 1894 :*'' H. p. euclides'' Miskin, 1889 *'' Hypochrysops resplendens'' Bethune-Baker, 1908 *'' Hypochrysops ribbei'' Röber, 1886 *'' Hypochrysops rufimargo'' Rothschild, 1915 *'' Hypochrysops rufinus'' Grose-Smith, 1898 *'' Hypochrysops scintillans'' Butler, 1882 :*'' H. s. carveri'' D'Abrera, 1971 :*'' H. s. carolina'' D'Abrera, 1971 :*'' H. s. constancea'' D'Abrera, 1971 :*'' H. s. squalliensis'' D'Abrera, 1971 *'' Hypochrysops simplex'' Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1896 *'' Hypochrysops siren'' Grose-Smith, 1894 *'' Hypochrsops taeniata'' Jordan, 1908 *'' Hypochrysops thauma'' Staudinger, 1895 *'' Hypochrysops theon'' Felder, 1865 :*'' H. t. alix'' Grose-Smith, 1900 :*'' H. t. carmen'' Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1899 :*'' H. t. medocus'' Fruhstorfer, 1908 :*'' H. t. theonides'' Grose-Smith, 1894 :*'' H. t. theophanes'' Grose-Smith, 1894 *'' Hypochrysops thesaurus'' Grose-Smith, 1894 *'' Hypochrysops utyi'' Bethune-Baker, 1913

References

* {{Taxonbar , from=Q633652 Luciini Lycaenidae genera Taxa named by Cajetan von Felder Taxa named by Rudolf Felder