Ogyris genoveva

Ogyris genoveva (Hewitson, [1853])
Genoveva Azure
ARHOPALINI , THECLINAE , LYCAENIDAE

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

(updated 25 June 2008)

Ogyris genoveva
(Photo: courtesy of R.P. Field, Museum Victoria)

The eggs of this species are flattened fawn spheres with a diameter of about 1 mm. They are laid singly on the food plant or nearby branches.

The Caterpillar is flattened, and brown with darker brown dots. It lives in a nest of any of several species of :

Sugar Ants ( Camponotus, FORMICINAE ),

and is shepherded to its food by the ants. This is extensively illustrated in the BBC video "Metropolis" in the series "Alien Empire". It feeds on the foliage of various Mistletoes ( LORANTHACEAE ) including :

Amyema,

Dendrophthoe, and

Muellerina species.

The pupa is dark brown and formed in the ants nest. Its length is about 2.5 cms.

Male
(Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

The male adult is metallic purple in colour. The female is black with metallic azure toward the hinge, and a cream patch near the tip of each forewing.

Female
(Photo: courtesy of Museum Victoria)

The undersides of the forewings are dark brown, with a series of white bars along the costa. The hindwings underneath have a complex fawn pattern. The females have additionally a white patch under each forewing. The butterflies have a wingspan of about 5 cms.

Male showing underside
(Photo: courtesy of M. and P. Coupar, Museum Victoria)

The species occurs in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, and several races have been proposed including :

araxes,

duaringa,

genua, and

splendida.

However, each shows a great deal of variation, and their status is controversial.