Candalides helenita

Candalides helenita
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Candalides
Species:	C. helenita
Binomial name
	Candalides helenita; (Semper, [1879])
Synonyms
	Holochila helenita Semper, [1879]; Holochila androdus Miskin, 1890; Holochila subargentea Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1896; Plebeius dimorphus Röber, 1886;

Candalides helenita, the shining pencil-blue, is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in Australia and Indonesia.^[2]

The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adults males are blue with a narrow black margin around each wing. The females are dark brown with a white patch on each wing. The underside of both sexes is white with a few dark dots around the hindwing margins.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on the young foliage of , Glochidion ferdinandi, and Brachychiton acerifolium. They are green to brown with a pale brown head. Pupation takes place in a brown pupa which is formed in a curled leaf at the bottom of the host plant.

Subspecies[]

Candalides helenita helenita (Cape York to Cairns)
Candalides helenita dimorpha (Röber, 1886) (Waigeu, Misool, Jobi, West Irian to Papua)

References[]

^ Australian Faunal Directory
^ "lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com". Archived from the original on 2012-10-07. Retrieved 2011-05-16.

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[1] Australian Faunal Directory

[2] "lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com". Archived from the original on 2012-10-07. Retrieved 2011-05-16.

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