Jalmenus evagoras (Imperial Hairstreak)

Other Common Name

Imperial Blue, Common Imperial Blue

Notes

I’d been wondering why this species is often called the Common Imperial Blue, since I had never seen one anywhere. Then I spotted a very tattered specimen feeding from flowers in the Ingleburn Recreation Reserve near my home.
When I read up about this species, the books said they lived gregariously in very localised colonies, so the next chance I got I went back to that same spot and waited. I soon saw another specimen, and by following it I found the colony.
There must have been about two hundred individuals gathered in a small area.

They were exhibiting all the behaviour noted in the books :

  • They were very gregarious
  • The larvae and pupae were attended by ants
  • The larvae and even pupae were gathered together
  • Males would sit by pupae, hoping to mate with a female as soon as she emerged.
  • Mating would begin even before the female’s wings had expanded (talk about child brides!)
  • The colony was based around a group of juvenile Acacia bushes, mostly under 1 metre tall.

Sightings

Ingleburn – April 2004 and lots of times since
Glenbrook – lots of times
Georges Hall – December 2018, December 2020
Newington – December 2021, Jan/Feb/Mar 2022
I have seen them elsewhere too, but I stopped taking notes.

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