Arhopala wildei
Encyclopedia
The Small Oakblue or White Oakblue (Allosmaitia wildei) is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae
family. It is found in Irian Jaya, western New Guinea
, and from Cape York
to Innisfail
in northern Queensland
.
The wingspan
is about 30 mm.
The larvae feed on ant eggs, and probably also the larvae. They live in the arboreal nests of the ant species Polyrhachis queenslandica.
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family. It is found in Irian Jaya, western New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, and from Cape York
Cape York
Cape York may refer to:* Cape York , a cape at the north-west coast of Greenland, in northern Baffin Bay* Cape York meteorite, meteorite found in 1894 near Cape York, Greenland...
to Innisfail
Innisfail
Innisfail may refer to:*Innisfail, Queensland, town in Australia*Innisfail, Alberta, town in Canada*Inisfail, poetic name for Ireland...
in northern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 30 mm.
The larvae feed on ant eggs, and probably also the larvae. They live in the arboreal nests of the ant species Polyrhachis queenslandica.
Subspecies
- Arhopala wildei wildei (Australia, from Cape York to Kuranda)
- Arhopala wildei soda (Tagula, Woodlark Island)
- Arhopala wildei neva (New Guinea)