Steel-blue Ciliate Blue

EASY GARDEN BUTTERFLIES

Steel-blue Ciliate Blue (aka Common Hairtail)Anthene definita definita

The Steel-blue Ciliate Blue (which used to be known as the Common Hairtail) is one of the Lycaenidae (Gossamer-winged Butterflies), subfamily Polyommatinae (Blues, Bronzes etc.).

Ciliate Blues (aka Hairtails) get their name from the short, bristle-like tufts on the corner of their hindwings.

The male Steel-blue Ciliate Blue’s wingspan is 21-22 mm, the female’s, 24-29mm.

Males choose a perch on the side of a bush or on a prominent rock and fly off to chase other butterflies. They fly extremely fast but settle often and sometimes open their wings to reveal the upper side. This looks very dark until the sun catches it, then it lights up electric blue. The females look very different to the males; they are paler blue with dark spots. They fly more slowly and are more often seen on flowers. The undersides of both sexes are grey with pale wavy lines and prominent eyespots at the corner of the hindwing. Together with the ‘hairtails’ this creates a ‘false head’ effect that can fool predators into aiming at part of the butterfly that won’t harm it if it is bitten off.

Both sexes are fond of flower nectar. Males also like to sit on damp earth and mud, sucking up dissolved minerals.

Distribution

The Steel-blue Ciliate Blue is a widespread butterfly found in the Savanna, Forests, Grasslands and Fynbos areas of South Africa. It is not usually found in the arid areas of the Northern Cape or the open grasslands of the Highveld, but its wide host plant spectrum makes it a common garden butterfly in areas wherer it might not naturally occur.

Further north it’s found across sub-Saharan Africa.

Egg

The female Steel-blue Ciliate Blue lays her tiny, pale blue-green eggs singly on buds and leaves of the host plant. They are about 0.25mm diameter by 0.5mm high. They are flattened discs, with many tiny moles connected by cross-ribs, creating indentations. The eggs turn white as they mature. The egg stage lasts about six to eight days.

Caterpillar

Steel-blue Ciliate Blue caterpillars are small and slug-shaped, as are most caterpillars of the Lycaenidae.This species has a row of sharp projections on its back, creating a ‘hogsback’ effect. They feed on flower buds and young shoots of the host plants, growing from 1mm to 15mm long in three to four moults over a period of 4-6 weeks. They vary greatly in colour depending on the colour of the leaves or flowers they are eating. They may be green, yellow, brown or red, with paler markings. At the tail end there is a gland that secretes a sweet liquid (‘honeydew’) that attracts ants. The presence of the ants serves to drive away parasitic wasps or flies that may lay eggs inside it, that would hatch into grubs or maggots that eat it from the inside, killing it. Image © Hanna Roland.

Pupa/Chrysalis

Steel-blue Ciliate Blue pupae are typical of the shape of Ciliate Blues, roughly diamond-shaped with a pointed head and a rounded abdomen at the rear. They are attached to a silken pad spun by the larva on a leaf or twig by tiny hooks on the tail in a manner similar to ‘Velcro’, with a silken girdle around their ‘waist’. They have a diamond-shaped white spot at the rear of the thorax where it meets the abdomen. They are about 10mm long. The adult normally emerges in about ten days but in winter they may hibernate for up to five months.

Host plant

Steel-blue Ciliate Blues have a very wide range of host plants, including some exotics. Examples are Wild Plum Harpephyllum caffrum, Crassula and Kalanchoe species, African False-currant Allophylus africanus, Jacket-plum Pappea capensis and various Thorn-trees Vachellia and Senegalia species. They’ve been found eating the leaves of exotics like roses, Australian Wattles, and Mango trees.