Biology:Candalides absimilis

Candalides absimilis
	Male
	Female
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Candalides
Species:	C. absimilis
Binomial name
	Candalides absimilis; (C. Felder, 1862)
Synonyms
	Holochila absimilis C. Felder, 1862; Candalides persimilis Waterhouse, 1942; Holochila persimilis; Erina persimilis;

Short description: Species of butterfly

Candalides absimilis, the pencilled blue or common pencil-blue, is a species of butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found along the east coast of Australia , including Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria.^[2]

The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adult males are grey blue, while females are brown on top with a large white patch on each wing and a purple sheen near the hinges. The underside of both sexes is white with rows of fawn carets.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on buds and young shoots of a wide range of plants, including Flagellaria, Macadamia integrifolia, Castanospermum australe, Erythrina, Callerya megasperma, Wisteria, Cassia fistula, Alectryon coriaceus, Brachychiton acerifolius and Cupaniopsis. They are green with a dark dorsal line and diagonal white marks along the sides and a brown head. Pupation takes place in a brown pupa with a length of about 15 mm.