THE ENTOMOLOGIST 



Vol. XXXV.] JUNE. 1902. [No. 469. 



CONTEIBUTION TO THE LIPE-HIBTOBY OF LIPHYRA 

 BRASSOLIS, Westw. 



By F. p. Dodd. 



Having made many enquiries in Australia with reference to 

 this remarkable butterfly without receiving any information of 

 an important nature, it appears to me that little or nothing is 

 really known of its life-history. One correspondent stated that 

 it is " said to be found in ants' nests in its larval and pupal 

 stages," but presumably he did not know which species of ant 

 it was said to fraternise with. Another correspondent informed 

 me that " his books gave it as a twilight flier, with a query, and 

 that they suggested that larvae may be carnivorous, feeding on 

 woolly bugs." 



I had already seen a female on a warm sunny day in July, 

 1900, depositing eggs upon a tree, which was in complete 

 possession of the wonderfully interesting green tree ant, CEco- 

 phylla smaragdina, Fab., which exists here in vast numbers in 

 the coast and mountain scrubs. Upon this tree there were 

 several large nests of the ants, and the butterfly would rapidly 

 fly over the top of the tree once or twice, then come underneath 

 and settle on one of the branches near the trunk ; there were 

 four spots to which it returned at different times after its flights, 

 and, upon examination, I found that there were two or three 

 eggs deposited on each. Judging by the number of flights, I 

 believe only one egg was laid at each rest. I have since 

 frequently seen the eggs on other trees in ones, twos, or more ; 

 but deposits of two, in several different places, is the number 

 usually to be met with. They are placed on the under side of 

 branches, or protected side of the trunk. I took several of the 

 ova, and in twenty-two days the larvae, flat oval creatures, 

 appeared, but of course refused to eat, and died. I had taken 

 them upon the chance of their being leaf-eaters, and with the 

 ants merely for protection, as I had found is the case with 



ENTOM. — JUNE, 1902. N 



