Zizina labradus
Encyclopedia
Zizina labradus, commonly known as the Common Grass Blue, Grass Blue, or Clover Blue, is a small Australia
n butterfly
of the Lycaenidae
family.
Adults are purplish blue on the upper wing surface with a black body and black or brown wing margins. These margins are larger on the female than the male. The lower wing surface is brown to pale brownish-grey with a pattern of fawn bands and spots, with the body covered in white or grey hairs. The wingspans of females are slightly larger than males, females having a wingspan of 23mm and males 20mm. Common Grass Blues have a weak, fluttering flight and so usually fly close to ground level close to a food source.
Eggs are white or pale blue and have a mandarin shape with a pitted surface. Caterpillar
s reach about 7mm in length, and their appearance is primarily green with a yellow stripe at the sides and a darker green stripe on the back, and brown or black head usually obscured under the thorax
. In captivity, fed on an artificial diet, larvae come in highly variable colours, ranging from white through red to dark purple. Pupa are 10mm long with erect hairs. Colouration varies, ranging from pink, greyish or greenish cream and contains mottled dark spots.
, Norfolk Island
, and Christmas Island
, while the subspecies Zizina labradus labdalon is restricted mainly to Cape York Peninsula
. The Common Grass Blue is often misidentified as the Lesser Grass Blue, Zizina otis
.
Zizina labradus labradus, as its name suggests, is very common and can be found in suburban gardens, particularly perching in grass; lawns and fields.
family such as bean
s, clover
and various native species. Newly hatched larvae eat small holes from young leaves or flower buds, and later feed mainly inside flowers. The larvae are considered a minor pest and will feed on leguminous plants such as garden beans by eating a small hole into the pods and then devouring the soft seeds within. In captivity when food is scarce the larger larvae will cannibalize smaller ones.
The larva
e are typically attended by ant
s of the genera Paratrechina
, Rhytidoponera
and Tapinoma
.
The pupa
attaches to the lower leaf surface of the food plants with anal hooks and a central girdle.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
of the Lycaenidae
Lycaenidae
The Lycaenidae are the second-largest family of butterflies, with about 6000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies...
family.
Description
Eggs are white or pale blue and have a mandarin shape with a pitted surface. Caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s reach about 7mm in length, and their appearance is primarily green with a yellow stripe at the sides and a darker green stripe on the back, and brown or black head usually obscured under the thorax
Thorax
The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.-In tetrapods:...
. In captivity, fed on an artificial diet, larvae come in highly variable colours, ranging from white through red to dark purple. Pupa are 10mm long with erect hairs. Colouration varies, ranging from pink, greyish or greenish cream and contains mottled dark spots.
Distribution
The subspecies Zizina labradus labradus is found over most of continental Australia, as well as on Lord Howe IslandLord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, directly east of mainland Port Macquarie, and about from Norfolk Island. The island is about 11 km long and between 2.8 km and 0.6 km wide with an area of...
, Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
, and Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
, while the subspecies Zizina labradus labdalon is restricted mainly to Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
. The Common Grass Blue is often misidentified as the Lesser Grass Blue, Zizina otis
Zizina otis
The Lesser Grass Blue, Zizina otis, is a species of blue butterfly found in south Asia. The Lesser Grass Blue is often misidentified as the Common Grass Blue, Zizina labradus.-Male upperside:...
.
Zizina labradus labradus, as its name suggests, is very common and can be found in suburban gardens, particularly perching in grass; lawns and fields.
Growth
Single eggs are laid which can hatch in a matter of days. The eggs are laid on leaves, stems, flower buds and young pods of food plants, chiefly legumes of the FabaceaeFabaceae
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, is a large and economically important family of flowering plants. The group is the third largest land plant family, behind only the Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with 730 genera and over 19,400 species...
family such as bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s, clover
Clover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
and various native species. Newly hatched larvae eat small holes from young leaves or flower buds, and later feed mainly inside flowers. The larvae are considered a minor pest and will feed on leguminous plants such as garden beans by eating a small hole into the pods and then devouring the soft seeds within. In captivity when food is scarce the larger larvae will cannibalize smaller ones.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e are typically attended by ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s of the genera Paratrechina
Paratrechina
Paratrechina is an ant genus from the subfamily Formicinae .There are over 150 described species and subspecies, some of which occur on every continent...
, Rhytidoponera
Rhytidoponera
Rhytidoponera is a genus of ant in the Formicidae family.-Species:* Rhytidoponera abdominalis Viehmeyer, 1912* Rhytidoponera acanthoponeroides Viehmeyer, 1924* Rhytidoponera aciculata...
and Tapinoma
Tapinoma
Tapinoma is a genus of ants that belongs to the ant subfamily Dolichoderinae. There are 63 described species.The origin of the scientific name is interesting. Tapinoma is derived from the Finnish spirit god Tapio hence the common name ghost ant. Melanocephalum is derived from the two Greek words...
.
The pupa
Pupa
A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...
attaches to the lower leaf surface of the food plants with anal hooks and a central girdle.