Candalides gilberti

Candalides gilberti
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Candalides
Species:	C. gilberti
Binomial name
Candalides gilberti Waterhouse, 1903[1]
Synonyms
Holochila gilberti

The Northern Pencil-blue (Candalides gilberti) is a species of butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in the Northern Territory and the north of Western Australia.^[2]

The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adults are blue. The underside of both sexes is white with rows of dark dots and dashes.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on Decaisnina signata and Alstonia actinophylla. They are narrow, green or red with various markings and have a length of about 15 mm. The colour depends on the part of the hostplant it is feeding on (it is green when feeding on the leaves and red when feeding on the flowers). Pupation takes place in a mottled brown pupa with a length of about 14 mm.

References

1. ^ Australian Faunal Directory
2. ^ lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com