Erina hyacinthina (Varied Dusky-blue)

Erina hyacinthina hyacinthina
Erina hyacinthina simplex

Synonyms

This species was previously classified as Candalides hyacinthina, also Candalides hyacinthinus

Other Common Names

Common Dusky-blue, Western Dusky-blue

Notes

This butterfly is commonly found in just about any patch of bush around the Sydney metropolitan area. It is also a hilltopper; sometimes quite a number of males can be found congregating on hilltops in the hope of attracting the attention of a female.

The Sydney specimens are all of the subspecies hyacinthina, which is relatively dull compared to the more attractive subspecies simplex found in southern and western parts of Australia. I haven’t seen many simplex; on my visits to Perth I never found them in suburban bushland reserves. I had to go farther afield, finding them in coastal dunes such as at Nambung and Dongara,

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