Status and Distribution of Acrodipsas illidgei (Waterhouse and Lyell) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) at Redland Bay, Southeastern Queensland, and a New Plant‐association Record

Abstract

A study of the spatial distribution of the rare, myrmecophagous Illidge's ant-blue butterfly, Acrodipsas illidgei (Waterhouse and Lyell) was made in a mangrove habitat and adjacent landward areas at Redland Bay, southeastern Queensland, Australia. A smaller, similar study was made at Mary River Heads, east of Maryborough, Queensland. At Redland Bay a single dead, bored-out branch (stub) containing the host ant Crematogaster sp. (laeviceps F. Smith group) was taken from each of 100 grey mangrove trees, Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh. (Avicenniaceae). Live A . illidgei immatures were found in 2% of ant nests at Redland Bay, while a further 3% showed evidence of previous occupancy. Of seven trees at Mary River Heads, one contained A . illidgei larvae. The majority of stubs (80%. from four trees) from a landward tree, AHocasuarina glauca (Sieber ex Sprengel) (Casuarinaceae), occupied by the host ant contained immature stages of A . illidgei and another ant-attended lycaenid, Ogyris amaryllis Hewitson.