Silky hairstreak

Silky hairstreak
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Tribe:	Zesiini
Genus:	Pseudalmenus
Species:	P. chlorinda
Binomial name
Pseudalmenus chlorinda Blanchard, 1848[1]

The silky hairstreak or chlorinda hairstreak (Pseudalmenus chlorinda) is a butterfly belonging to the family Lycaenidae. The species was first described by Emile Blanchard in 1848. It occurs in Australia. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Pseudalmenus, described by Hamilton Herbert Druce in 1902.[2]

Taxonomy

Subspecies include:[3]

• P. c. chlorinda is found in Tasmania.[3]
• 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.[4]
• P. c. zephyrus is found in eastern Victoria[3]
• P. c. fisheri is found in the Grampians National Park, Victoria[3]
• P. c. chloris is found around Katoomba and Mittagong, New South Wales[3]
• P. c. barringtonensis is found in the area of Barrington Tops, New South Wales[3]

Description

The adult silky hairstreak has a wingspan of 28 mm.[5] The male and female are similar, with the wings of the female slightly more rounded.[1] 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.[1] They are usually laid in small groups on the twigs of a food plant.[1]

The caterpillars grow to a length of around 3 cm. They have a black head and a brown, red, black and yellow body.[1] The larvae of the silky hairstreak secrete substances that attract Anonychomyrma biconvexa ants.[6][7]

Distribution and habitat

It is found in south-eastern Australia including New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.[8] The species only occurs where the attendant ant species is found, and the larval food plant grows.[9]

The caterpillars feed on various Acacia species including the A. dealbata, A. decurrens, A. elata, A. mearnsii, A. melanoxylon, A. obtusata, A. pravissima, A. terminalis and the A. trachyphloia.[1]

See also

• Papilionidae
• List of butterflies of Tasmania

References

1. "Pseudalmenus chlorinda". Australian-Insects. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
2. Savela, Markku (28 September 2016). "Pseudalmenus Druce, [1903]". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
3. Savela, Markku (28 September 2016). "Pseudalmenus chlorinda (Blanchard, 1853)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
4. "Threatened Fauna Manual for Production Forests in Tasmania - Tasmanian Hairstreak Butterfly" (PDF). Retrieved 5 November 2011.
5. "Victorian (Silky) Hairstreak Butterfly". Museum Victoria. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
6. "Species Pseudalmenus chlorinda". Australian Biological Resources Study. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
7. "Lycaenid butterflies and ants". Australian Museum. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
8. Kitching, Roger (1999). Roger Laurence Kitching (ed.). Biology of Australian butterflies. CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 9780643050273.
9. Edwards, E. D.; Newland, J.; Regan, L. (2001). Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea, Papilionoidea. Csiro Publishing. p. 270. ISBN 978-0-643-06700-4.