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Lycaenidae pupa with ants

Lycaenidae spp.

Photo by Mark Ridgway
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

Many of the plants by waterside had the top dead leaves folded over and stitched with 'silk'. Inside there was some dark, keratinous material, looking like beetle? exuviae? Ants massing all over the openings and maybe inside in a seemingly non-aggressive way.

Habitat:

Beside a large lake in a local nature reserve. The plants were a maximum of 2 metres.

Notes:

Species:evagoras Genus:Jalmenus Subfamily:Theclinae Family:Lycaenidae Superfamily:Papilionoidea
Yet to search for ant species.. Thanks to Shanna and Martin it seems the pupae are most likely to be Imperial Blue Butterfly - Jalmenus evagoras. I had no idea butterfly can do the nectar/ants trick like hoppers, scale, etc. Some convergent evolution here? Jalmenus species?

Reference Links:

Pale Imperial Blue - Jalmenus evagoras - Overview, Jalmenus evagoras, Common Imperial Blue Butterfly - Australian Museum

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (5)
MartinL
Butterfly larvae are known to produce communal webs when in large groups. Delias harpalyce are a good example http://morwellnp.pangaean.net/cgi-bin/show_species.cgi?find_this=Delias%20harpalyce&image_letter=b&show_image=../images/full_size/Delias_harpalyce_b&show_date=1994-08-26&show_caption=Imperial%20white%20butterflies%20emerging%20from%20chrysalises%20in%20communal%20web Jalmenus does this too, as seen in your spotting and also noted in this link. http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/lyca/evagor.html I would expect this may account for the folding of leaves
Mark Ridgway
Thanks Martin. That's what's going on then. So if I just work out what folds the leaf over it's sorta sorted.
MartinL
Check these images Mark. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/8905078 I have seen these several times and agree with Shanna on Jalmenus evagoras. There is certainly at least one pupa remaining otherwise the ants will have abandoned the location. You will possibly see them back on the same trees next year but they will only live on young regrowth Acacia as the ants will not climb too high and the Lycaenids will not survive predators without the ants.
Mark Ridgway
Good thought thanks Shanna. That would explain the players... we'd have to assume there is an 'un-hatched' one in the middle somewhere. The casings (exuvae) visible in 5,6 sure seemed empty.
ShannaB
Maybe it's one of those symbiotic things where the larvae give off a substance that the ants like to eat and, in turn, the ants protect the larvae from predators. I've seen it with Imperial Blue Butterfly caterpillars: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/8975080

Spotted for Missions

Mission
ANTS!!!!
Photographed
PublishedApril 6, 2013

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