Erysichton lineatus explained

Erysichton lineatus, the hairy line-blue, is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. It is the sole species of the genus Erysichton. It was first described by Richard Paget Murray in 1874.^[1] It is found in New Guinea and along most of the eastern coast of Australia, from Queensland to New South Wales.

The wingspan is about 20 mm. Adult females are brown with a large white patch on each forewing, and a blue sheen near the hinges. The hindwings have a black eyespot at the tornus. Adult males are blue.

The larvae feed on the flowers of Syzygium francisii, Ehretia acuminata, Macadamia integrifolia, Brachychiton acerifolium and Arytera lautereriana.^[2]

Subspecies

The following are subspecies of Erysichton lineatus:

• Erysichton lineatus lineatus (Queensland: Claudie River to New South Wales: Kiama)
• Erysichton lineatus cythora (Fruhstorfer, 1916) (Tanimbar, Buru, Ambon, Serang, Obi, Bachan)
• Erysichton lineatus insularis Tite, 1963 (Trobriand, D'Entrecasteaux, Louisiade Archipelago)
• Erysichton lineatus meiranganus (Röber, 1886) (Aru, Kai, Manam, Karka, Admiralty Island)
• Erysichton lineatus uluensis (Ribbe, 1899) (New Britain, New Ireland, New Hanover, Witu, St. Matthias, Squally Islands)
• Erysichton lineatus vincula (Druce, 1891) (Solomons)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Savela . Markku . 6 November 2016 . Erysichton lineata (Murray, 1874) . Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms . 10 January 2020.
2. Web site: Herbison-Evans . Don . Crossley . Stella . amp . 16 September 2010 . Erysichton lineata (Murray, 1874) Hairy Lineblue . Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths . 10 January 2020.