Candalides absimilis

Candalides absimilis
Male
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Lycaenidae
Genus:	Candalides
Species:	C. absimilis
Binomial name
Candalides absimilis (C. Felder, 1862)
Synonyms
Holochila absimilis C. Felder, 1862 Candalides persimilis Waterhouse, 1942 Holochila persimilis Erina persimilis

The Pencilled Blue or Common Pencil-blue (Candalides absimilis) is a species of butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found along the east coast of Australia, including Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria.

The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adult males are grey-blue, while females are brown on top with a large white patch on each wing, and a purple sheen near the hinges. The underside of both sexes is white with rows of fawn carets.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on buds and young shoots of a wide range of plants, including Flagellaria, Macadamia integrifolia, Castanospermum australe, Erythrina, Callerya megasperma, Wisteria, Cassia fistula, Alectryon coriaceus, Brachychiton acerifolius and Cupaniopsis. They are green with a dark dorsal line and diagonal white marks along the sides and a brown head. Pupation takes place in a brown pupa with a length of about 15 mm.

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  Egg
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  Larva
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  Pupa
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  Female resting
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  Illustration of a mounted specimen