Theclinesthes sulpitius

Theclinesthes sulpitius (Miskin, 1890)
(one synonym : Neolucia obscura)
Saltpan Blue
POLYOMMATINI , POLYOMMATINAE , LYCAENIDAE

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

(updated 13 May 2008)

male
(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Sydney)

The Caterpillar of this species is green with a hairy head and tail. It has a brown head and a purple dorsal line. It feeds on various types of Saltbush ( CHENOPODIACEAE ), such as:

Brown-head Samphire ( Halosarcia indica ),

Glasswort ( Sarcocornia quinqueflora ),

Austral Seablite ( Suaeda australis ), and

Australasian Samphire ( Tecticornia australasica ).

(Specimen: courtesy of The Australian Museum)

The adult butterflies are brown with a bluish sheen.

underside
(Specimen: courtesy of The Australian Museum)

The undersides are brown with wiggly white lines. The butterflies have a wingspan of about 2 cms.

The eggs are white round, flattened, and have a pitted surface. They are laid singly on young shoots of a foodplant.

The species occurs along the east coast of Australia including :

New South Wales, and

Victoria.