Taxonomic Decision for Subspecies Arrangement

• Waterhouse, G.A. & Lyell, G. 1914. The Butterflies of Australia: a monograph of the Australian Rhopalocera introducing a complete scheme of structural classification, and giving descriptions and illustrations of all the butterflies found in Australia, including a number now recorded for the first time. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 239 pp. 38 pls + 3 unnumbered colour pls. [Date published 25 July 1914] [86]
• Sands, D.P.A. 1986. A revision of the genus Hypochrysops C. & R. Felder. Entomonograph 7: 1-116 [78]

Distribution

States

Queensland

Extra Distribution Information

Extralimital distribution—Indonesia (Aru Islands, Irian Jaya, Maluku), Papua New Guinea.

IBRA

Qld: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Gulf Plains (GUP), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), NSW North Coast (NNC), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Wet Tropics (WT)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

• Australia
  • Queensland: N Gulf, NE coastal
• Indonesia
  • Aru Islands
  • Irian Jaya
  • Maluku
• Papua New Guinea

Ecological Descriptors

Larva: herbivore (associated flora: Ryssopterys timoriensis (DC.) A.Juss. [MALPIGHIACEAE]).

Details of nominate subspecies, not present in Australia

Hypochrysops polycletus polycletus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Papilio polycletus Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Edition X, reformata. Holmiae : Laurentii Salvii Vol. 1 824 pp. [485].
Type data: lectotype ZIUU ♀; Linnaeus in the original description did not indicate the number of specimens described; Horne, W. & Kahle, I. 1935. Ueber Entomologische Sammlungen, Entomologen und Entomo-Museologie. Berlin : Dahlem vi 540 pp. 36 pls [dated 1935–1937] [285] (stated that the MLU went to the University of Uppsala).
Subsequent designation: Corbet, A.S. 1941. The Linnaean names of Indo-Australian Rhopalocera. Pts 1, 2. Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London B 10: 8–27 [15] (stated that the type was originally in the Museum Ludovicae Ulricae Reginae); (interpret Corbet's (1941) reference to a type as a lectotype designation (Art. 74, ICZN 1985)).
Type locality: Ambon, Indonesia (Indies given in original description), see Waterhouse, G.A. & Lyell, G. 1914. The Butterflies of Australia: a monograph of the Australian Rhopalocera introducing a complete scheme of structural classification, and giving descriptions and illustrations of all the butterflies found in Australia, including a number now recorded for the first time. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 239 pp. 38 pls + 3 unnumbered colour pls [84] (gave the type locality as Amboina); Corbet, A.S. 1941. The Linnaean names of Indo-Australian Rhopalocera. Pts 1, 2. Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London B 10: 8–27 [15] (stated that the type came from Ambon); Corbet, A.S. 1949. The Linnaean names of Indo-Australian Rhopalocera. Pt 7. Summary of determinations. Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London B 18: 191–199 [192, 197] (stated that the type came from Ambon).

General References

Druce, H.H. 1891. A monograph of the Lycaenid genus Hypochrysops, with descriptions of new species. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1891(2): 179-195 [182]

Parsons, M.J. 1998. The Butterflies of Papua New Guinea; their systematics and biology. San Diego : Academic Press 736 pp. [357]

Sands, D.P.A. 1986. A revision of the genus Hypochrysops C. & R. Felder. Entomonograph 7: 1-116 [78]

Sands, D.P.A. 1999. The Jewels, Hypochrysops species (Lycaenidae). pp. 261-277 in Kitching, R.L., Scheermeyer, E., Jones, R.L. & Pierce, N.E. (eds). Biology of Australian Butterflies. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing xvi 395 pp. [270]

History of changes

• Simoethus rex Boisduval, J.B.A.D. de 1832. Voyage de Découvertes de l'Astrolabe exécuté par Ordre du Roi, Pendant les Années 1826–1827–1828–1829, sous le Commandement de M.J. Dumont D'Urville. Faune entomologique de l'Océan Pacifique, avec l'illustration des insectes nouveaux recueillis pendant le Voyage. Part 1. Lépidoptères. Paris : J. Tastu iv, 267 pp. [publication date: Sherborn, C.D. & Woodward, B.B. 1901. Dates of publication of the zoological and botanical portions of some French voyages. Dumont d'Urville's Voyage de l'Astrolabe. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 7 8: 333 [333]].
• Hypochrysops hypocletus Oberthür, 1880.
• Miletus hylaithus Fruhstorfer, 1908.
• Miletus linos Fruhstorfer, 1908.
• Miletus oineus Fruhstorfer, 1908.

Generic Combinations

• Hypochrysops polycletus rex (Boisduval, 1832).

Ecological Descriptors

Larva: herbivore (associated flora: Ryssopterys timoriensis (DC.) A.Juss. [MALPIGHIACEAE]).

History of changes

• Hypochrysops rovena Druce, H.H. 1891. A monograph of the Lycaenid genus Hypochrysops, with descriptions of new species. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1891(2): 179-195 [184].

  Type data:

   Lectotype BMNH ♂, QLD (Druce in original description gave Cape Bowen and Cape York, QLD, and simply QLD and Richmond River and Port Macquarie, NSW)
  Comment: Druce in the original description mentioned both sexes and several localities.

  Type locality references:

  Waterhouse, G.A. 1903. Notes on Australian Rhopalocera: Lycaenidae. Part III—Revisional. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 28(1): 132-275, pls 1-3 [161] (stated that Druce's localities Richmond River and Port Macquarie, NSW were erroneous); Sands, D.P.A. 1986. A revision of the genus Hypochrysops C. & R. Felder. Entomonograph 7: 1-116 [80] (gave the label data on the lectotype as QLD).

Distribution

States

Queensland

Extra Distribution Information

Occurs from Weipa to Sarina, QLD.

Australian Endemic.

IBRA

Qld: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Desert Uplands (DEU), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Gulf Plains (GUP), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), NSW North Coast (NNC), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Wet Tropics (WT)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

• Australia
  • Queensland: N Gulf, NE coastal

Ecological Descriptors

Larva: herbivore.

General References

Common, I.F.B. & Waterhouse, D.F. 1981. Butterflies of Australia. Sydney : Angus & Robertson xiv 682 pp. 49 pls. [460] (distribution, identification)

Dunn, K.L. & Dunn, L.E. 1991. Review of Australian Butterflies: distribution, life history and taxonomy. Family Lycaenidae. Melbourne : K. & L. Dunn Vol. 3 336-512 pp. [354] (distribution)

Johnson, S.J. & Valentine, P.R. 1999. The life history of Hypochrysops polycletus rovena Druce (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Australian Entomologist 25: 121-123 [121] (biology)

Sands, D.P.A. 1986. A revision of the genus Hypochrysops C. & R. Felder. Entomonograph 7: 1-116 [79] (taxonomy, distribution)

Waterhouse, G.A. 1903. Notes on Australian Rhopalocera: Lycaenidae. Part III—Revisional. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 28(1): 132-275, pls 1-3 [160]

Waterhouse, G.A. & Lyell, G. 1914. The Butterflies of Australia: a monograph of the Australian Rhopalocera introducing a complete scheme of structural classification, and giving descriptions and illustrations of all the butterflies found in Australia, including a number now recorded for the first time. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 239 pp. 38 pls + 3 unnumbered colour pls. [Date published 25 July 1914] [86]

History of changes