''Candalides gilberti'', the northern pencil-blue, is a species of
butterfly of the family
Lycaenidae. It is found in Australia in the
Northern Territory and the north of
Western Australia.
The
wingspan is about 30 mm. Adults are blue. The underside of both sexes is white with rows of dark dots and dashes.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on ''
Decaisnina signata
''Decaisnina signata'' is a species of flowering plant, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae native to Australia. It is found from Cape York to the Kimberleys.
It was first described by Ferdinand von Mueller as ''Loranth ...
'' and ''
Alstonia actinophylla''. They are narrow, green or red with various markings and have a length of about 15 mm. The colour depends on the part of the host plant it is feeding on (it is green when feeding on the leaves and red when feeding on the flowers). Pupation takes place in a mottled brown pupa with a length of about 14 mm.
References
Candalidini
Butterflies described in 1903
Butterflies of Australia
{{Polyommatinae-stub