Prosotas felderi

Prosotas felderi (Murray, 1874)
Felder's Line Blue
POLYOMMATINI , POLYOMMATINAE , LYCAENIDAE

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

(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Sydney)

This Caterpillar is hump-backed and coloured in various pastel shades: pink or green or yellow. It has a brown head. It feeds on the buds and flowers of various plants, including the Australian natives :

Sally ( Acacia falcata, MIMOSACEAE ),

Late Flowering Black Wattle ( Acacia concurrens, MIMOSACEAE ),

Southern Salwood ( Acacia disparrima, MIMOSACEAE ),

Gossamer Wattle ( Acacia floribunda, MIMOSACEAE ),

Granite Wattle ( Acacia granitica, MIMOSACEAE ),

Black Wattle ( Acacia leiocalyx, MIMOSACEAE ),

Hickory Wattle ( Acacia penninervis, MIMOSACEAE ),

Queensland Silver Wattle ( Acacia podalyriifolia, MIMOSACEAE ),

Coastal Wattle ( Acacia sophorae, MIMOSACEAE ),

Beach Bird's Eye ( Alectryon coriaceus, SAPINDACEAE ), and

Carrotwood ( Cupaniopsis anacardioides, SAPINDACEAE ),

Tulipwood ( Harpullia pendula, SAPINDACEAE ),

and the introduced :

Siris ( Albizia lebbeck, MIMOSACEAE ), and

Lichee ( Litchi chinensis, SAPINDACEAE ).

The pupa is brown with dark markings. Pupation occurs in a shelter formed of leaves joined with silk.

male
(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Sydney)

The male adults are brown on top with a blue sheen.

female
(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Sydney)

The females have a patch of blue on each wing, and a series of faint pale chevron markings along the margin of each hindwing.

(Photo: courtesy of Martin Purvis, Sydney)

Underneath, they are fawn with rows of darker spots edged in white. Near the tornus of each hindwing. both sexes have short tail, and a dark spot on both the upper and lower surfaces. The butterflies have a wing span of about 2 cms.

The eggs are laid on flower buds of a foodplant.

The species occurs through Queensland and New South Wales, from Gympie to Wollongong.