About Pseudalmenus chlorinda (Blanchard)
Scientific name: Pseudalmenus chlorinda (Blanchard), the silky hairstreak. Adult silky hairstreaks have a wingspan of 28 mm. Males and females are similar in appearance, except females have slightly more rounded wings. The upper surface of their wings is black or brown, marked with yellow-orange patches. The lower wings have orange patches, black tails with white edges. The underside of the wings is yellow-grey, with black and orange markings. Eggs of this species are pale green, with a diameter of about 1 mm. They are typically laid in small groups on twigs of the larval food plant. Fully grown caterpillars reach a length of around 3 cm. They have black heads, and bodies patterned with brown, red, black, and yellow. Silky hairstreak larvae secrete substances that attract the ant species Anonychomyrma biconvexa. This butterfly is found in south-eastern Australia, including New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. The species only occurs in habitats where both the attendant ant species Anonychomyrma biconvexa is present and its larval food plant grows. Its caterpillars feed on multiple Acacia species, including A. dealbata, A. decurrens, A. elata, A. mearnsii, A. melanoxylon, A. obtusata, A. pravissima, A. terminalis, and A. trachyphloia.
