No abstract

The Northern Territory is a frontier in Australia for biological research in which new discoveries and locations of butterflies are frequently made. In this paper, I report 41 new point locations for 36 species in northern Arnhem Land. In particular, a number of significant range extensions and new spatial records are documented, including new locations for the Copper Jewel Hypochtysops upel/es and Samphire Blue Theclinesthes sulpitius which are more than 500 km from their previous known occurrence in the Northern Territory'. Notwithstanding Arnhem Land's remoteness and inaccessibility being key constraints for butterfly surveys, further sampling is recommended to obtain fine-scale distribution data to fill knowledge gaps and to assess the conservation status of particular species. As the majority of the region surveyed is now located within the recently declared Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) managed by Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation's Djelk Rangers based in Maningrida, these recommendations will assist with the collection of baseline data for future monitoring. A greater focus on this invertebrate group may help to promote the potential use of butterflies as indicators of biodiversity and landscape health.

A set of keys are presented for identification of the 41 species of lycaenid butterfly known to occur in the monsoonal Kimberley and Top End regions of north-western Australia. The key is designed for use in the field and to complement the field guide of Braby ( 2004).