Everes lacturnus Godart, 1784
(one synonym: Polyommatus lacturnus)
Tailed Cupid
POLYOMMATINI ,   POLYOMMATINAE ,   LYCAENIDAE

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

Everes lacturnus
(Photo: courtesy of Wes Jenkinson)

This Caterpillar is corrugated, hairy, and green with patches of various other colours. It grows to a length of about 1 cm. It has been found feeding on the flowers and seedpods of :

  • Dikit-Dikit ( Desmodium heterocarpus, FABACEAE ).

    Everes lacturnus
    (Photo: courtesy of Wes Jenkinson)

    The pupa is green with black markings, and has a length of about 0.7 cm. It is formed in amongst the fruit pods of the foodplant.

    Everes lacturnus
    (Photo: courtesy of Tony Bailey, Canungra, Queensland)

    The adults are brown on top with several orange-edged black spots on the rear edge of each hind wing. The males have an iridescent blue sheen. The hind wings each have a thin tail. Underneath, the wings are white with a fawn subterminal arc, and two black spots near the front on each hind wing. Also, there is a row of black spots by the tail on each hind wing, two being surrounded with orange. The adult butterflies have a wingspan of about 2 cms.

    Everes lacturnus
    female
    (Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

    The eggs are pale green, round, and flattened, with a diameter of about 0.5 mm. They are laid singly on flowers and pods of a foodplant.

    Everes lacturnus
    underside
    (Specimen: courtesy of the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

    The species occurs over much of south-east Asia, including:

  • India,
  • Indonesia,
  • Japan, and
  • Srilanka.
    The subspecies australis occurs in
  • New Guinea,
  • Western Australia,
  • Northern Territory,
  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales, and
  • Lord Howe Island.


    Further reading :

    Michael F. Braby,
    Butterflies of Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2000, vol. 2, pp. 843-844.


    previous
    back
    caterpillar
    Australian
    Australian Butterflies
    butterflies
    Australian
    home
    caterpillars
    Australian
    Australian Moths
    moths
    next
    next
    caterpillar

    (updated 2 May 2009)