Share your favorite Lycaenidae !

[wollastoni]

A new topic to share your favorite Lycaenidae specimen. Not easy to choose among all the beauties of this family.

I will share a special one : special because not found in many collections and special for its unique beauty, Udara cybele from West Papua.
Also special for me because I caught it in one of the most impressive places I have ever seen, the Pass Valley.

Its blue and white patterns are very poetic.

Udara cybele
Pass Valley km 28

1800m altitude

August 2009

Leg. Pequin

What is your favorite Lycaenidae in your collection ?

[mantisboy]

This Parrhasius m-album, or White M Hairstreak, is my favorite Lycaenid in my collection. It is not a very good specimen, but the blue coloration is beautiful, Morpho-like, and it is a very rare stray into my area (less than 15 recorded in Wisconsin, less than 5 of those were collected). The underside is rather drab, and to the untrained eye looks much like one of the common Satyrium. For this reason, I decided to try grabbing this one with my hands (at this point I was young, and not very interested in smaller butterflies). As I was pinching its thorax, I saw the shimmering blue topside and instantly recognized it! Since then, I have made sure to check every hairstreak I see, but have not yet found another one.

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[deliasfanatic]

My favourite Lycaenid genera include Hypochrysops, Arhopala, and Lycaena. The first of these is nearly restricted to New Guinea, Australia, and a few surrounding islands. I consider them as the Lycaenid answer to Delias, so it's no wonder that I like them so much. In English, they're known as "jewels" for good reason. There are around 60 species of wildly varying colour and pattern...here's a selection.

H. chrysanthis male (recto)
Hypochrysops chrysanthis M R 1519 by D B, on Flickr

H. chrysanthis male (verso)
Hypochrysops chrysanthis M V 1520 by D B, on Flickr

H. apollo male (recto)
Hypochrysops apollo wendisi M R 1529 by D B, on Flickr

H. apollo male (verso)
Hypochrysops apollo wendisi M V 1530 by D B, on Flickr

H. siren male (verso)
Hypochrysops siren M V 1524 by D B, on Flickr

H. polycletus polycletus female (verso)
Hypochrysops polycletus polycletus F V 1538 by D B, on Flickr

H. arronica female (verso)
Hypochrysops arronica F V 1525 by D B, on Flickr

H. plotinus male (verso)
Hypochrysops plotinus M V 1528 by D B, on Flickr

[Paul K]

This specimen was found in near Mukdahan National Park in eastern Thailand. I have never seen this species anywhere else but it looks like localized rather common species as I met few of them , but only at one location so far. 
I would ask for identification help with this one.
It is not my favourite one but interesting species by large size and very long tails.

[nomihoudai]

@ Paul K, that is a common species, still a nice one. Neomyrina nivea.

1 favorite species for over 5000 there is? Isn't that a bit unfair Even naming a species in each subfamily would leave you relatively with less species than giving your favorite Papilionidae.

Anyway, the one species I have spend the most time and effort on is Philotes sonorensis. I guess there is not much to tell about them, people have seen it often enough.



Now winter is coming and I will be working hard on my "Lycaenidae of the world" project where I intend to give a picture for each species there is.

[wollastoni]

Splendid US Lycaenidae Claude.
And may the force be with you for this fantastic website project ! You will need it.

Danny, I love your Hypochrysops !

[Paul K]

Thank you Nomihoudai for ID'ing .
I have few more I would need your help later on.

Paul

[Deleted]

For me it has to be this one, the picture does not do it justice, it is the Taygetos blue Polyommatus menelaos, found only in the Taygetos mountains in Greece.

[trehopr1]

A descent species dunc but, being British I really thought you would favor perhaps the chalk hill blue or holly blue or some other British endemic. Britain has some really nice lycaenids.

[Deleted]

I would say lysandra bellargus from our native British leps but p menelaos is a very special butterfly in the flesh.

[wolf]

The favourite i have in my collection has to be Poritia kinoshitai, because of the male with deep blue color and because its endemic to Palawan in the Philippines.



I could not choose a favourite all the known species

[wollastoni]

Thanks a lot wolf, first time I see this one.

[daveuk]

Lycaena dispar batavus-Woodwalton Fen-Cambridgeshire England

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[daveuk]

Lycaena dispar batavus-bred specimens

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[nomihoudai]

It is winter in Europe, and I finally have a little time in between of travelling...

Here are my favorite Albulina so far, Albulina metallica chitralensis, from Pakistan. There is no real identification literature of these out there and I hope to fill this void as soon as possible with my Lycaenidae of the world project.