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The silky hairstreak or chlorinda hairstreak (''Pseudalmenus chlorinda'') is a
The adult silky hairstreak has a wingspan of 28 mm. The male and female are similar, with the wings of the female slightly more rounded. The wings are black or brown on top with yellow-orange patches. The lower wings have orange patches and black tails with white edges. The underside of the wings is yellow grey with black and orange markings. The eggs are pale green with a diameter about 1 mm. They are usually laid in small groups on the twigs of a food plant.
The caterpillars grow to a length of around 3 cm. They have a black head and a brown, red, black and yellow body. The larvae of the silky hairstreak secrete substances that attract ''
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...
belonging to the family Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae is the second-largest 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 the known butterfly ...
. The species was first described by Emile Blanchard in 1848. It occurs in Australia. It is the only species in the monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
genus ''Pseudalmenus'', described by Hamilton Herbert Druce
Hamilton Herbert Charles James Druce (1869 – 21 June 1922) was an England, English entomologist who specialised in Lycaenidae and to a lesser extent Hesperiidae. He is not to be confused with his father, the English entomologist Herbert Druce, ...
in 1902.
Taxonomy
Subspecies include: * ''P. c. chlorinda'' is found inTasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
.
* ''P. c. myrsilus'' is found in a restricted area of south-east Tasmania. It is classified as rare under the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.
* ''P. c. zephyrus'' is found in eastern Victoria
* ''P. c. fisheri'' is found in the Grampians National Park
The Grampians National Park commonly referred to as The Grampians, is a national park located in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. The Jardwadjali name for the mountain range itself is Gariwerd.
The national park is situated bet ...
, Victoria
* ''P. c. chloris'' is found around Katoomba and Mittagong
Mittagong () is a town located in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, in Wingecarribee Shire. The town acts as the gateway to the Southern Highlands when coming from Sydney. Mittagong is situated at an elevation of . The town ...
, New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
* ''P. c. barringtonensis'' is found in the area of Barrington Tops
Barrington Tops is part of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, Australia, between Gloucester and Scone.
In 1934, the area was difficult to access and was described as being "not traceable to any man-made feature".
Part of the area ha ...
, New South Wales
Description
The adult silky hairstreak has a wingspan of 28 mm. The male and female are similar, with the wings of the female slightly more rounded. The wings are black or brown on top with yellow-orange patches. The lower wings have orange patches and black tails with white edges. The underside of the wings is yellow grey with black and orange markings. The eggs are pale green with a diameter about 1 mm. They are usually laid in small groups on the twigs of a food plant.
The caterpillars grow to a length of around 3 cm. They have a black head and a brown, red, black and yellow body. The larvae of the silky hairstreak secrete substances that attract ''Anonychomyrma biconvexa
''Anonychomyrma biconvexa'' is a species of ant in the genus ''Anonychomyrma''. Described by Santschi in 1928, the species is endemic to Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign co ...
'' ants.
Distribution and habitat
It is found in south-eastern Australia includingNew South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
and Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
. The species only occurs where the attendant ant species is found, and the larval food plant grows.
The caterpillars feed on various ''Acacia
''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus n ...
'' species including the '' A. dealbata'', '' A. decurrens'', '' A. elata'', '' A. mearnsii'', '' A. melanoxylon'', '' A. obtusata'', '' A. pravissima'', '' A. terminalis'' and the '' A. trachyphloia''.
See also
*Papilionidae
Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the larges ...
*List of butterflies of Tasmania
Tasmania is located south of the mainland of Australia, separated from the state of Victoria by the 240 km wide Bass Strait. Although Tasmania shares most of its fauna with the southern parts of Australia or Australia as a whole, Tasmania's ...
References
External links
{{Taxonbar , from=Q3409552 Theclinae Taxa named by Émile Blanchard Butterflies described in 1848 Butterflies of Australia