16 
The Queensland Naturalist 
Feb., 1942 
Larva, dirty white and shiny, developing a pink 
tinge as it enlarges, which deepens prior to pupation; a 
fringe of fine hairs at each side above feet and at each 
extremity. Pupa of distinctive appearance, being elongate 
with relatively small thorax and large abdomen ; shiny 
golden brown in colour. Pupal duration (in spring) 
forty days. 
The butterflies, on first emerging, have a quantity of 
fluffy material adhering to their antennae, head, thorax, 
base of wings and legs. 
At Ocean Grove, in Victoria, Dr. Waterhouse (1) 
found larvae of Pseudodipsas myrmecophila myrmecophila 
in the nests of Iridomyrmex nitidus, and recently Mr. J. 
Macqueen has found larvae of this form at Millmerran 
under similar circumstances. We think it possible that 
illidgei, whose larvae live in the nests of quite a different 
ant ( C . laeviceps), may prove to be specifically distinct. 
It is, at least, a very distinct race, and may represent a 
new species in the making. These two forms, myrme- 
cophila and illidgei , seem sufficiently different from 
digglesi and cephenes as to warrant their inclusion in a 
separate genus 
Hypochrysops epicurus Mishin. 
For some years Mr. L. Franzen has taken this species 
at Burleigh, and he suspected that the larvae w r ould be 
found on one of the different varieties of mangrove near 
which the butterflies were flying. We were pleased that, 
after much tedious searching, we were able to confirm his 
suspicions. The larvae feed on the common tree-man- 
grove, Avicennia officinalis. They are always attended 
by a small dull black ant, Iridomyrmex itinerans, and 
w T hen looking for larvae it is useless searching a tree on 
which any other species of ant is present. The larvae 
eat only the under-sides of the leaves and shelter either in 
rolled leaves or in hollows in the branches or trunk ; they 
pupate in similar situations. Pupae of the spring brood 
are not easy to obtain as they are mostly in hollows in the 
branches ; in later summer more pupae are found in the 
leaves. Eggs are laid in clusters on twigs and leaf-stalks. 
Larva usually pinkish brown with dark brown dorsal 
band, of which two or more segments are often cream- 
coloured (some larvae are green) ; fringe of hairs white. 
Pupa brown, darker in colour than those of II. cyane 
received from Mr. J. Macqueen. We have not yet suc- 
ceeded in rearing larvae in captivity, but have located 
