Hypochrysops

Hypochrysops is a genus of butterflies in the family Lycaenidae first described by Cajetan Felder and Rudolf Felder in 1860. This particular genus is exclusive to the Australian area with only a few species straying into Papua New Guinea.

Food sources

The mistletoe plant is ambiguously claimed to be a food source for at least some species of Hypochrysops.

This might be so, but raises some questions because most Lycaenidae have parasitic or mutualistic, often highly specific, relationships with various species of ants, and ants have been reported to carry the eggs of the Apollo jewel butterfly (Hypochrysops apollo apollo) into their colonies inside ant plants of the genus Myrmecodia. Myrmecodia species have certain superficial resemblances to "mistletoes", but are epiphytic, not markedly parasitic, and are not in any parasitic plant family; they are in fact in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. It seems likely that Hypochrysops apollo apollo at least, might feed exclusively on ant food and ant larvae.

Species

• Hypochrysops alyattes H. H. Druce, 1891
• Hypochrysops anacletus C. Felder, 1860
• Hypochrysops antiphon Grose-Smith, 1897
• Hypochrysops apelles Fabricius, 1775

• H. a. singkepe D'Abrera, 1977

• Hypochrysops apollo Miskin, 1891

• H. a. phoebus Waterhouse, 1928
• H. a. wendisi Bethune-Baker, 1909

• Hypochrysops architas H. H. Druce, 1891

• H. a. cratevas H. H. Druce, 1891
• H. a. marie Tennent, 2001
• H. a. suethes H. H. Druce, 1891

• Hypochrysops aristocles Grose-Smith, 1898
• Hypochrysops argyriorufa van Eecke, 1924
• Hypochrysops arronica Felder, 1859
• Hypochrysops aurantiaca Yagishita, 2004
• Hypochrysops bakeri Joicey & Talbot, 1916
• Hypochrysops boisduvali Oberthür, 1894
• Hypochrysops byzos Boisduval, 1832

• H. b. hecalius Miskin, 1884

• Hypochrysops calliphon Grose-Smith, 1894
• Hypochrysops castaneus Sands, 1986
• Hypochrysops chrysanthis Felder, 1860
• Hypochrysops chrysargyra Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1895
• Hypochrysops chrysodesmus Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1899
• Hypochrysops chrysotoxus Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1890
• Hypochrysops cleon Grose-Smith, 1900
• Hypochrysops coelisparsus Butler, 1883

• H. c. kerri Riley, 1932

• Hypochrysops coruscans Grose-Smith, 1897

• H. c. subcaeruleum Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1896
• H. c. ceramicum H. H. Druce, 1903
• H. c. dinawa -Bethune-Baker, 1908

• Hypochrysops cyane Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914
• Hypochrysops delicia Hewitson, 1875

• H. d. delos Waterhouse & Lyell, 1914
• H. d. duaringae Waterhouse, 1903
• H. d. regina Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1895

• Hypochrysops dicomus Hewitson, 1874
• Hypochrysops digglesii Hewitson, 1874
• Hypochrysops dinawa Bethune-Baker, 1908
• Hypochrysops dohertyi Oberthür, 1894
• Hypochrysops doleschallii Felder, 1860
• Hypochrysops elgneri Waterhouse & Lyell, 1909

• H. e. barnardi Waterhouse, 1934

• Hypochrysops emiliae D'Abrera, 1971
• Hypochrysops epicurus Miskin, 1876
• Hypochrysops eucletus Felder, 1865

• H. e. dyope Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1895
• H. e. eratosthenes Fruhstorfer, 1908
• H. e. menandrus Fruhstorfer, 1908
• H. e. vulcanicus D'Abrera, 1971

• Hypochrysops eunice Fruhstorfer, 1915
• Hypochyrsops felderi Oberthür, 1894
• Hypochrysops ferruguineus Sands, 1986
• Hypochrysops geminatus Sands, 1986
• Hypochrysops halyaetus Hewitson, 1874
• Hypochrysops herdonius Hewitson, 1874
• Hypochrysops heros Grose-Smith, 1894

• H. h. imogena D'Abrera, 1971
• H. h. polemon Fruhstorfer, 1915

• Hypochrysops hippuris Hewitson, 1874
• Hypochrysops honora Grose-Smith, 1898
• Hypochrysops hypates Hewitson, 1874

• H. h. zeuxis Staudinger, 1888

• Hypochrysops ignita Leach, 1814

• H. i. chrysonotus Grose-Smith, 1899
• H. i. erythrina Waterhouse & Lyell, 1909
• H. i. olliffi Miskin, 1889

• Hypochrysops lucilla D'Abrera, 1971
• Hypochrysops luteus Sands, 1986
• Hypochrysops makrikii Ribbe, 1900
• Hypochrysops meeki Rothschild & Jordan, 1905
• Hypochrysops mioswara Bethune-Baker, 1913
• Hypochrysops mirabillis Pagenstecher, 1894
• Hypochrysops miraculum H. H. Druce & Bethune-Baker, 1893
• Hypochrysops miskini Waterhouse, 1903
• Hypochrysops narcissus Fabricius, 1775
• Hypochrysops pagenstecheri Ribbe, 1899
• Hypochrysops piceatus Kerr, Macqueen & Sands, 1969
• Hypochrysops plotinus Grose-Smith, 1894
• Hypochrysops polycletus Linnaeus, 1758

• H. p. atromarginata H. H. Druce, 1891
• H. p. brunnea H. H. Druce, 1903
• H. p. epicletus Felder, 1859
• H. p. hylaithus Fruhstorfer, 1908
• H. p. hypochrysops Oberthür, 1880
• H. p. kaystrus Fruhstorfer, 1908
• H. p. linos Fruhstorfer, 1908
• H. p. menyllus Fruhstorfer, 1908
• H. p. oineus Fruhstorfer, 1908
• H. p. rex Boisduval, 1832
• H. p. rovena H. H. Druce, 1891

• Hypochrysops pratti Bethune-Baker, 1913
• Hypochrysops protogenes Felder, 1865

• H. p. cleonides Grose-Smith, 1900
• H. p. hermogenes Grose-Smith, 1894
• H. p. pretiosus Grose-Smith, 1894
• H. p. thesaurus Grose-Smith, 1894

• Hypochrysops pyrodes Cassidy, 2003
• Hypochrysops pythias Felder, 1865

• H. p. aurifer Grose-Smith, 1898
• H. p. drucei Oberthür, 1894
• H. p. euclides Miskin, 1889

• Hypochrysops resplendens Bethune-Baker, 1908
• Hypochrysops ribbei Röber, 1886
• Hypochrysops rufimargo Rothschild, 1915
• Hypochrysops rufinus Grose-Smith, 1898
• Hypochrysops scintillans Butler, 1882

• H. s. carveri D'Abrera, 1971
• H. s. carolina D'Abrera, 1971
• H. s. constancea D'Abrera, 1971
• H. s. squalliensis D'Abrera, 1971

• Hypochrysops simplex Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1896
• Hypochrysops siren Grose-Smith, 1894
• Hypochrsops taeniata Jordan, 1908
• Hypochrysops thauma Staudinger, 1895
• Hypochrysops theon Felder, 1865

• H. t. alix Grose-Smith, 1900
• H. t. carmen Grose-Smith & Kirby, 1899
• H. t. medocus Fruhstorfer, 1908
• H. t. theonides Grose-Smith, 1894
• H. t. theophanes Grose-Smith, 1894

• Hypochrysops thesaurus Grose-Smith, 1894
• Hypochrysops utyi Bethune-Baker, 1913