Two-spotted Line-blue ( biocellata)

NO LOCAL PHOTO AVAILABLE. SEE FIELD GUIDES OR MUSEUM OF VICTORIA BIOINFORMATICS WEBSITE.

Other Common Names: Double-spotted Line-blue, Double Spotted Blue

Family of : (Blues and Coppers)

Tony Morton’s records of Two Spotted Line-blue from the local area (between 2000 to 2013):

Date Location Notes 5-Oct-2002 Vaughan flying round one Wirilda outside house in Vaughn 19-Sep-2003 Vaughan walk 1-Nov-2006 Kalimna Ridge

Other local observations: None

Distribution Across Victoria (from Field 2013): Records from throughout Victoria.

Larval Host Plants (Field 2013): Larvae feed on the flower buds of wattles ( spp.).

Larval association with ants (Field 2013): Larvae often associated with small ants from the .

Adult Flight Times in Victoria (from Field 2013): It is believed to have almost continuous breeding through the year, with adults being seen in flight in Victoria in all months except June and July.

Conservation Status:

National Action Plan (2002): No conservation status Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999: Not listed

Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Not listed Advisory List of Threatened Victorian Invertebrates (DSE 2009): Not listed

Other Notes: Expected to be moderately common in the Mount Alexander Shire. \

Larvae are well camouflaged, as they look like wattle flowers.

References and further reading:

Braby, M. F. (2004) The Complete Field Guide to the Butterflies of . CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.

1

Butterflies of the Mount Alexander Shire – A Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club publication Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment (2009) Advisory List of Threatened Invertebrate Fauna in Victoria – 2009. Department of Sustainability and Environment, East Melbourne, Victoria (http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/environment-and-wildlife/threatened--and- communities/threatened-species-advisory-lists)

Field, R.P. (2013) Butterflies: Identification and Life History. Museum Victoria Publishing, Melbourne.

Sands, D.P.A. and New, T.R. (2002) The Action Plan for Australian Butterflies. Environment Australia, Canberra (http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/action-plan-australian-butterflies)

Museum of Victoria Bioinformatics – Australian Butterflies: The Victorian Fauna http://museumvictoria.com.au/bioinformatics/butter/

2

Butterflies of the Mount Alexander Shire – A Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club publication