''Hypolycaena danis'', the black and white tit or orchid flash, is a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

of the family

Lycaenidae Lycaenidae is the second-largest family of butterflies (behind Nymphalidae, brush-footed butterflies), with over 6,000 species worldwide, whose members are also called gossamer-winged butterflies. They constitute about 30% of the known butterfl ...

. It is found in the

Maluku Province Maluku is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It comprises the central and southern regions of the Maluku Islands. The main city and capital of Maluku province is Ambon, Maluku, Ambon on the small Ambon Island. The land area is 62, ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

as well as the

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

region and north-eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is about 30 mm. Adults have white wings with broad black margins. The hindwings have blue edges with black spots and two tails. The underside of the wings is similar, but the pale areas are yellowish. The larvae feed on '' Vanda'' species and ''

Dendrobium bigibbum ''Dendrobium bigibbum'', commonly known as the Cooktown orchid or mauve butterfly orchid, is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid in the family Orchidaceae. It has cylindrical pseudobulbs, each with between three and five green or purplish leaves a ...

'',''Hypolycaena''
at Markku Savela's ''Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms'' ''

Dendrobium canaliculatum ''Dendrobium canaliculatum'', commonly known as the brown tea tree orchid or thin tea tree orchid, is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid in the family Orchidaceae. It has cone-shaped or onion-shaped pseudobulbs, up to six deeply channelled, dark ...

'', '' Cattleya'', ''

Renanthera ''Renanthera'', abbreviated as Ren in horticultural trade, is a genus of large scrambling monopodial epiphytic and terrestrial species of orchid found in China, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Melanesia.Rice, R. (2008). Renanthera ...

'', '' Phalaenopsis'' and '' Phalaenanthe'' species. They are off white to reddish green, sometimes with red bands. Pupation takes place in an off-white pupa, which is attached to the stem of the host plant.

Subspecies

*''H. d. danis'' (Bachan, Halmahera, Morotai) *''H. d. danisoides'' de Nicéville, 1897 (Kai Islands) *''H. d. deripha'' Hewitson, 1878 (Aru, New Guinea, Louisade Archipelago) *''H. d. milo'' Grose-Smith (New Britain) *''H. d. turneri'' (Waterhouse, 1903) (Cape York to Cairns)

Gallery

Image:Hypolycaena_danis_danis_male.JPG, ''H. d. danis'' male Image:Hypolycaena_danis_danis_female.JPG, ''H. d. danis'' female Image:Hypolycaena_danis_danisoides_male.JPG, ''H. d. danisoides'' male Image:Hypolycaena_danis_danisoides_female.JPG, ''H. d. danisoides'' female Image:Hypolycaena_danis_derpiha_male.JPG, ''H. d. derpiha'' male Image:Hypolycaena_danis_derpiha_female.JPG, ''H. d. derpiha'' female

References

Butterflies described in 1865 Hypolycaenini Butterflies of Asia Butterflies of Oceania Taxa named by Baron Cajetan von Felder Taxa named by Rudolf Felder {{Theclinae-stub